In Love with a Thirteen-year old
by The Infamous Fly
Summary: The sequel to "Jealous of a Twelve-year old." Dipper and Mabel return to Gravity Falls as thirteen-year-olds, but many things have changed. Will contain adult themes and semi-strong language. The artist responsible for the amazing cover image is can be found at on Tumblr, and as Selsa012 on Deviantart. Later chapters may be rated M. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Wendy looked up from the splintery counter.

She had removed her flannel shirt, due to the heat wave which had struck Gravity Falls during the first week of summer. The air conditioning machine which she and Soos had forced Stan to install created barely enough cool air to keep her conscious, and the fan rotated lazily, the dusk light creating rotating shadows on the Mystery Shack's merchandise stacked walls. This left her feeling more sluggish than normal and batting her hand to create a tiny puff of breeze.

Soos had dealt with the heat by going underground like a mole, a typical Soos thing to do. He had offered to help Stan's brother with whatever it was he spent all day and night crafting, in the basement levels. She would be envious if the heat didn't stop her from achieving anything other than frustration and lethargy. Glancing at the clock, she watched the hands move in what appeared to be a moment of slowed reality. The idea of ditching work had occurred to her for the millionth time. But once again, the clock prevented her from doing so. The Shack would close its doors in a half hour, and Wendy didn't want to give Stan any reason for replacing her with Paz. The blonde remained too young to legally work the counter, but Wendy had long since learned not to put such things past her con artist of a boss. Not just that, but since Paz had begun to work at the Shack, Stan had grown a soft spot. Perhaps a result of her capitalistic drive, perhaps because the thirteen-year-old specialized in charming people.

The reason seemed obsolete with the knowledge that in a few minutes her torment would cease to be.

Then the doorbell rang, and Wendy sighed as she raised sweat coated head. _Of course, someone would show up in the final business hour after a sluggish day._ Putting on her "charming, cashier girl face", Wendy gaped at the two strangers. They were two incredibly familiar looking teens, both hauling luggage into the shop. The boy stood just a little bit shorter than her and wore a beaten up cap with almost all of the navy blue faded away. The girl stood just half a foot shorter than her companion, and wore a dark red, handmade sweater, with little black dogs all over it.

They both glanced at one another, stared back with broadening smiles and giggled in unison.

"Hey, Wendy…what's up?"

The boy spoke first, using a voice which resembled a boy she must have known a lifetime ago. But the voice, that signature squeak, had changed slightly. It became older, stronger, and more confident. Hearing it made it more difficult to inhale, and just staring at him felt breathtaking. But it couldn't be him. He was tall, slightly muscular, and he wore a smile of self-assurance which she didn't remember Dipper ever having access to.

But she could see the birthmark which had awarded him his nickname.

She stuttered for words, "Di-Di-"

Pacifica entered broom in hand. She looked ready to go home, but her exhaustion died when she spotted the twins. She bound over and wrapped her arms around the taller of the two.

"DIPPER!"

He blushed as Mabel commented on the blonde's affection.

"Well someone certainly missed you…"

The besweatered twin received her comeuppance when Soos charged across the gift shop and pulled her into a crushing hug. Gasped for air, causing Dipper to chuckle at her expense. Pacifica ended the embrace and began rattling off information as Dipper nodded his head good-naturedly. Wendy just continued to stare, finally able to get words out, and feeling guilty for the harshness of her tone.

"Why didn't you call?!"

For a moment, the fun had ended, and everyone was staring at her. Mabel squirmed a little with guilt while Dipper's face worked quickly to get the hurt away from it. Paz glared at her, and Wendy began to wonder why she let herself ruin everything? But he wiped it off his face with a cough and tried to restart the conversation with a gentle smile.

"We uh, figured that it would be fun to surprise you all. Sorry…"

His sheepish grin made her force her own, and she climbed over the counter to rectify the situation.

"Sorry Dippingsauce, I didn't mean to make you guys feel guilty. I've just...I've just really missed you guys…"

Mabel perked up at hearing those words, and before Dipper could tell her that it was fine, he had been pulled into a three-way hug.

Mabel wrapped her navy wool arms around the two of them, and spoke as though they were war refugees reunited after years of traveling the alps, "We missed you too Wendy!"

The redhead blushed almost as hard as Dipper did, but Mabel cared not. Instead, she pulled away and removed a map from seemingly nowhere.

Unraveling it with the energy and flare which could be expected from her, she gestured to points on the map wildly as she spoke, "Which is why tonight…we are going to CEL-LE-BRATE people! We're gonna hit all the Gravity Falls hot-spots!"

Wendy raised a brow, "So what, the cave system?"

She accepted high fives from Pacifica and Dipper for that one, but Mabel shook their criticisms aside.

"Laugh all you want, it is I who shall be laughing when I school you all at the dance floor!"

Stan rolled his eyes, "If I was a few years younger I could teach you all a thing or two about dancing."

The old man began to sway with the nostalgic memory of 70's hits, and Mabel giggled before taking his arm in her own.

"-pfff-sure thing Grunkle Stan." She took her bag and gestured for Pacifica to follow. "C'mon Paz, we got a whole shipload to catch up on!" The blonde smirked at the Mabelesque metaphor but followed reluctantly as Mabel began to recount everything which they had done since their last phone conversation.

Soos followed eagerly, nodding his head along to the teenage girl gossip. Wendy would have been able to contain her laughter, had Stan not been boogieing into the kitchen. She turned back to Dipper and found him staring at her with fascination. She shrunk slightly under his gaze, feeling her cheeks begin to burn with his admiration.

Wendy thought she heard him say something, but he quickly coughed and began moving his bag towards the back hall.

"Where are you going?"

Dipper looked sad for a moment, but like before he hid it under that almost unnerving calm. "Guest room."

Her brow furrowed and she followed at a quick pace, "Wait, you aren't sleeping upstairs?"

The thirteen-year-old regained some of his old exasperation, "No I'm just dropping my bags here so that I can squeeze into a cluttered room, and share it with my teenage sister."

He raised an eyebrow, and for the third time this evening, she felt herself blush. "Oh. Right. Of course."

Sensing her mental face palming, Dipper held the door open, "You wanna take a look around? There's a lot of junk in here that Ford doesn't need anymore, and…well the more elbow the room the better."

Wendy stepped inside and her eyes swept the room as Dipper opened the couch.

"This uh…this is an impressive level of junk…"

Tapestries, half disintegrated books, and chests of strange items lay all about. Statues leaned against the rotting cabinet, and wisps of dust clung to the fan above.

Dipper smirked, "Yeah, it's kinda depressing that all this stuff will go to waste now that Bill has been defeated and the universe is in order."

Wendy gave her own smirk as she leaned against a cabinet and watched him unpack.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that Dippingsauce, just yesterday I saw a two-headed lizard." He looked up with a more natural smile on its face, "Was it orange or purple? Because if it was purple than all your hair is gonna fall out come morning."

She moved over to him with a questioning brow, only half certain that he was joking. "Is that so?"

Sitting down on the couch, she fiddled with mini-globe as she spoke, "Umm, this place is pretty cramped, I was wondering if…I mean, it would be kind of loud, but…well it just occurred to me…"

Dipper raised an eyebrow, and when she continued to stutter, he pulled her into a playful hug, "Yes Miss Corduroy, I WILL MARRY YOU!"

She elbowed him in the gut, and he toppled onto the floor gasping for breath between laughs. Wendy folded her arms after he laughed for an unnecessary length of time.

"You are such a little smart-ass…"

He grinned, "I'm not so little anymore…in fact, I'm big enough that you've finally started cursing while I'm in earshot."

She blushed again, "Oh, sorry."

He shook his head, "No need to apologize, Mabel and I aren't little balls of innocence waiting to be corrupted. I like you better when you act like yourself anyway…"

She stared at the carpet for a moment, before he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Wendy, what did you want to ask?"

She smirked and sat up, "It's no big deal, I was just going to say that you would have more room if you stayed in the guest room at my house."

He took a moment to stare at her like she had grown a second head and then forced a smile. "I uh, I don't think…that your family would be very accommodating."

She gave him a challenging look, the tables suddenly turned. "Oh? They aren't that bad you know…"

He shrugged, "I know I just…I'd prefer to sleep here…that way if anything happens during the night…"

She raised a brow, beginning to remember how paranoid he could be. "Okay, that's fine. I didn't want to pressure you it was just an offer-"

"No I…I would take it. It's just that Grunkle Ford has been uh…well he's going to be training me over the summer."

"Oh? What's he going to teach you?" Wendy asked disinterestedly she picked up a small, copper rhombus and played with it delicately.

Dipper replied as he began removing his clothes from his luggage, "Astrophysics, quantum mechanics, the scientific process…"

Wendy pocketed the trinket as she joked, "So he's teaching you to be EVEN MORE of a nerd?"

He gave her a scolding look, and she giggled at his seriousness.

"Laugh now oh unintellectual one…by the end of the year, I will be the smartest fourteen-year-old on Earth."

Wendy rolled her eyes at the claim as she stood and moved for the exit, then she turned back with surprise when her mind finally registered the entire sentence.

"Wait…the end of the year?"

He looked up with a sigh, and nodded, only half regretful for letting the cat out of the bag.

"You're staying…here," She pointed at the floor for emphasis.

He nodded.

"For the rest of the year?!"

He nodded again, and she ran a hand through her hair, "Why…why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged, "Sorry, I just…I was going to tell you later. I don't know…I didn't get around to it."

She gave him one of the famous Corduroy frowns, and he wilted slightly under it.

"And Mabel isn't staying here the whole year, is she?"

He shook his head with a touch of melancholy, before forcing a smile and jumping to his feet. "Well no point in talking about it anymore, c'mon, I bet Mabel's ready to hit the town-!"

Wendy grabbed his collar and pulled him away from the doorway, "Wait a second…you two are going to be separated…and she's fine with that?"

He nodded for the millionth time and glanced up hopefully, "Can we please not talk about this?"

She realized what a sore spot this must be, and removed her hold of his collar. Nodding steadily, she felt her heart flutter when he gave her a genuine smile, and took her hand.

"Fantastic. C'mon I bet Pacifica knows all the best clubs!"

He was pulling her now, through the halls, her giggling at his enthusiasm as he rattled off about the fun they would have. They were both happy for a moment, free of anxiety for what felt like forever. She could envision the fun that they would have, and for too long she hadn't had this feeling. This feeling which only he could give her. The idea that everything would be fine because there was nothing the two of them could not face together. The moment that feeling returned to her, she wanted more of it.

But it was cut short when Ford stepped in the way and the teens came to a screeching halt.

He gave Wendy a cursory glance, before turning a smile upon Dipper. "Dipper my boy, it's wonderful to see that you've returned!"

The prodigy smiled unsteadily in return, "Thanks, Uncle Ford, I was just-"

"But of course! I just need a moment to catch you up on a few things."

Ford wrapped an arm around his nephew's shoulder strategically causing Wendy and Dipper's hands to break in their embrace. He cast a slight scowl Wendy's way, before pulling the silent Dipper towards the back room.

"Does he have to be such a jerk about it?"

She turned at the sound of the voice, to find Mabel standing just behind her, arms folded in disapproval. Wendy felt slightly shocked that Mabel could be so antagonistic but attempted to calm her down regardless.

The ginger shrugged and spoke casually, in an attempt to get the brunette back to her normal self, "C'mon, it's not that bad."

Mabel turned the glare upon her, only letting up in the least. The stirring resentment in the normally sunny girl's eyes startled Wendy and found herself at a loss for words. _Does she blame me for Dipper staying the rest of the year? Does she think it's my fault? Did he choose to stay here BECAUSE of me?_ Sensing the tension, Pacifica entered and practically dragged Mabel into the front of The Shack.

"Umm…Mabel, I've got something to show you."

Giving Pacifica a thankful glance, the cashier girl turned and almost immediately bumped into Stan. He watched as she moved into the kitchen and grumbled about not being able to walk two steps without bumping into someone.

He followed her in and removed a beer from the fridge as she splashed water on her face to cool down. "Hey, don't blame me. Ford was the one who didn't want to spring for extra rooms."

Wendy sighed and sat down at the kitchen table, groaning and rubbing her now wet brow, "Why does everything have to be so difficult?"

The old man sat down popping open the bottle upon his twin brother's table, "That's just the way it is. Kids grow up, they start caring about useless crap, forget how fun it was to care about nothing."

She nodded, noting the touch of remorse in his voice. Profoundness had never been her bosses' specialty, but he took on his own kind of wisdom when addressing anything related to what went wrong between him and his brother. Although Ford had allowed Stan to continue living and utilizing his house for profit (mostly because he almost never left the basement), Wendy would have laughed at her own situation, apparently being the most immature of their little group, while simultaneously being the oldest. Dad would be mortified.

Stan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and raised a brow, "So…are you now that Dip's all grown up, when are you gonna make a move on him?"

Wendy stared at him with unblinking eyes, and he smirked slightly at her surprise. She grew irritated with his smugness and sat up.

"First of all, it is none of your business."

"I beg to differ, he's my great nephew. I wanna see him happy."

She ignored him, "Second, he's only a year older."

Stan shrugged and took another sip, "He'll be 14 in August."

"And thirdly, HOW DO YOU EVEN know ABOUT ALL THAT?!"

Stan rolled his eyes, "I was at last year's birthday party for the twins remember? I watched as you gave the kid googly eyes. Same reason you were pissed off at the Northwest kid earlier that week."

Wendy felt surprised that he had paid this much attention but chose not to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging it.

"Besides, you think I haven't realized how you act whenever he calls? You think I don't remember the way he acted after you yelled at his sister?"

She blushed and squirmed in her seat, feeling like a little child in front of her father.

"I might focus on more lucrative endeavors than other people's personal lives, but you couldn't be more obvious Corduroy."

Folding her arms, she repeated her original message, "None. Of. Your. Beeswax."

Stan tossed the can into a nearby bin, "Okay, alright. I'm not gonna tell you what to do."

He gave advice regardless as she got to her feet and moved to the doorway, "All I know is that if you put things off Corduroy…the world doesn't wait. It moves on."

She glanced back and watched as he removed another beer solemnly. Remembering the fast version of the backstory between him and his brother, she sighed and entered the hall. Dipper said goodbye to Ford out the corner of her eye, and they collided unexpectedly.

Rubbing her head, Wendy looked up from the floor to see a sheepishly grinning Dipper. He extended a hand, and she gave a vengeful smirk, before gripping his hand. Just as he began to pull her to her feet, she pulled the opposite direction and let her legs relax. He circled out as they toppled down. With him lying in a heap atop her, Wendy began to giggle hysterically as he struggled to get up.

"Where-*gee-hee-hee*-where are you-*AHAHAHA* going!"

He dusted himself off and shook his head, "Gwendolyn, Berble, Corduroy, you ought to be ashamed."

She giggled harder and wrapped her arms around his leg, "Never *pfff* said I wasn't."

He played along, crying out with fake panic as he dragged her across the floorboards and towards the entrance.

"HELP! Someone…there's a girl way out of my league, and she won't leave me alone! I think she's a zombie! It's the only logical conclusion!"

She laughed harder and harder, eventually swearing revenge when Dipper decided to pick up her water bottle and dump its contents on her. She sputtered and jumped to her feet, tearing after the retreating youth.

"YOU ARE DEAD PINES!"

She sprinted after him like a cheetah, nearly busted the screen door. Wendy stuck her tongue into her cheek as she bolted after him and outstretched her arms. Her eyes gleamed in the moonlight, her hair rushing every which way as she approached her unknowing pretty.

"TIME TO MEET YOUR MAKER!"

Dipper glanced behind himself just in time to be sent sprawling. The two of them rolled, and but Wendy managed to pin him against the gravel.

"You fought well young one…"

She smiled and ran her wriggling fingers down his sides.

"…BUT NOT WELL ENOUGH!"

He burst into laughter and kicked as she caused him to spasm with her tickling. He tried to protest, but it was buried in laughter and she gave a mocking "What was that? I can't hear you!" as she continued at twice the speed. His shrieks filled the night air, and Wendy watched him, realizing just how much she had missed the sound of his laughter. His smile was the most genuine thing that she knew of.

"Hey, five-year-olds!"

Wendy ceased her attack and looked up to find that Pacifica was sticking her head out the window of her limo.

"Whatever happened to trying to act like adults?"

She glanced down at the recovering Dipper, and he choked out a response, "Acting like an adult is for suckers."

She smiled and hoisted him to his feet. Bolting to the lengthy car, she raised her fist as though defying society, and repeated his response like a mantra.

"That's right; ACTING LIKE AN ADULT IS FOR SUCKERS!"

Mabel opened the door for them and she dove in while howling like a wolf, as Pacifica told the unamused driver to take them to some place called the "Silver Owl."

 ***0***

As it turned out, the Silver Owl was an experimental club, built into the side of a redwood. Thus, one couldn't really "drive" to it.

Instead, the driver stopped in front of the correct tree, and they piled out to find a large rope ladder. Dipper took one look at the incredibly tall climb and turned to his twin.

"Age before beauty dear sister."

She gave a challenging smile, "Ladies first, Miss Yellow-bellied chicken."

He stuck out his tongue, and she began making chicken "bawks!" as he ascended at high speed. Mabel watched him for a moment, before following suit. Wendy noticed that Pacifica was watching Dipper climb with a love struck smile.

Well, of course, she didn't get over him, what did you expect? She was just as excited as you were every time they called. He texted her all the time. Feeling her face flush with envy, Wendy fanned herself and glanced back at the twins.

"Well…absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"What was that?"

Wendy hadn't realized she had spoken aloud and found Paz staring at her in confusion. The blond didn't look annoyed, though, which meant she must have genuinely misheard her. Probably too busy day dreaming.

If you can be daydreaming this late…I guess it would be regular dreaming. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she realized that Pacifica still awaited an answer.

Moving to the rope ladder, Wendy began climbing and replied with a grunt which may have been more honest than intended, "Just talking to myself."

When she reached the top of the ladder, she stared in surprise at the mingle of different people around the entrance to the ridiculous club. Since last year, the town had become even more of a tourist trap, what with all the urban legends about triangular demons. Slowly, she had gotten used to the more-than-average number of people roaming her town. She had even gotten used to the assholes with their video cameras, who came here to promote their reality TV shows about discovering the "unknown."

Still, she felt startled by the sheer number of party goers. She wondered how exclusive this club was, and why Pacifica had taken them here. When she had heard the blonde refer to places she enjoyed partying, they had all been very elite.

Shrugging off the insignificant questions, she turned and watched as Dipper helped Pacifica up. The rich girl's face had turned red, and he was even teasing her about it. Before she could find an adequate response to watching her crush initiate close contact with the most attractive girl his age in the town, Mabel came running up to her with a smoothie.

"WENDY! They have free food in there!"

That explains the crowd.

"Oh really…awesome. What flavor did you get?" She pointed at the light purple sludge within the Styrofoam cup, and even Mabel had trouble explaining.

"I…THINK…it's a grapefruit and grape fusion…"

Wendy nodded halfheartedly, watching as Dipper and Pacifica interacted. Get it together, you can't be this possessive over someone who you aren't even in a relationship with. A second voice spoke up, one which was considerably less annoying the chiding one, but, on the whole much, much scarier.

But I love him.

Shaking herself away from that terrifying thought, she realized that Mabel was giving her a strange look. Oh right, gotta stop zoning out like that.

Wendy turned her attention to the fast paced music within and then turned towards Dipper and Paz.

"HEY LOVEBIRDS!"

They both looked her way with red faces, and a grin spread across the mischievous redhead.

"Last-one-to-the-dance-floor-has-to-get-everyone-a-drink!"

She then broke into a sprint, moving too quickly to hear the chorus of "HEY! NO FAIR!" and the scramble to follow. Diving between groups of gossipers, she stamped across the dance floor triumphantly. Paz joined her almost immediately after, followed by Mabel. Dipper arrived at a loss for breath, and she clapped him on the shoulder

"Sorry dude."

She turned away, and then pretended to have just thought of something, "Oh and by the way, I'll have a strawberry."

He gave her a friendly "You will regret this" look, before removing his notepad and taking their orders like a dutiful waiter. Mabel asked for a cotton candy one, before darting into a so absurd dance that Wendy had to start laughing. The music dipped and heaved, with Mabel repeating her own (extremely inaccurate, but much more amusing) version of the lyrics. Pacifica ordered a banana one and danced beside Mabel with head banging, toe-stomping, zeal.

Dipper returned as the next song began, and Wendy took hers with a "Thank you, sir, marvelous work." He rolled his eyes and continued distributing the drinks.

Pacifica nudged him lightly, "You didn't get one?"

Dipper shook his head, "I was going too…but then I realized that I've poisoned myself with liquefied sugar and food coloring enough today."

The blonde rolled her eyes and was about to give her own smart ass remark when a shrill voice pierced the blasting music and chatter.

"PACIFICA ELISE NORTHWEST!"

The four, as well as most people in the club, turned and stared at the angry woman and distasteful man beside her. The Northwest clan. Wendy watched Pacifica start to speak, and then wilt when her mother grabbed her arm.

"B-But Mom, I was just-"

Priscilla Northwest tightened her grip, causing her daughter to wince, "Cavorting with ruffians that's what you were doing."

Preston lurked behind, poking his finger against Dipper's chest, "You must be the cause of this discord! I hope your happy young man."

Dipper gritted his teeth, and practically yelled his response, "You can't live Pacifica's life for her!"

The rich couple scoffed, and Preston shook his head. "You should have stayed back in California young man,"

Mabel's stepped forward with protest, "How do you-"

But Preston was gone, with two bodyguards crowding around him, his wife, and his frustrated daughter. Pacifica cast one last sorrowful look towards her friends, before disappearing out of the club.

The music and dancing resumed very quickly. The only change being that a few of the chatter-boxes now gossiped piteously about Pacifica, as though she was a character in a soap opera and not a human being who they should strive to assist. Despite the intense music, Wendy was able to hear Dipper growl beneath his breath. It sounded unnatural for him. Not unjustified for sure, but still a tad disturbing. Mabel gulped, before placing a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon Bro-bro, it's been a long day…we should get some sleep."

He nodded slowly, and Wendy made way for them. They could see the Northwest helicopter pierce the night sky, its rotors slicing through the bright stars. Wendy could see the hopelessness on Dipper's face as he watched it, and it felt like a knife to the heart. The night air felt less refreshing and more uncomfortable. The Northwest's had sent their limo back home as well, so Mabel had to call Stan to pick them up. By the time that they had returned to The Shack, the twins were both close to dozing. Wendy tentatively gave Dipper's shoulder a light squeeze, and Stan spoke critically as a result.

"You're trying to wake him up, not think that a butterfly has landed on his shoulder."

Wendy rolled her eyes and looked back at Dipper. He looked so peaceful, so…well cute. She couldn't think of a boyfriend who she had stared at as he slept. But, much like everything else connected to Dipper, it was different. Stan sighed at her hesitation and shouted loudly.

"HEY LAZYBONES! WAKE UP!"

The twins jolted awake, with Dipper's hat toppling forth and causing his hair to look a touch weird while Mabel wiped the drool from her face and onto her sweater. Wendy giggled at their wide-eyed expressions and moved aside as they climbed out. Stan watched them stumble inside. Ford stood at the door, giving Dipper a disapproving glare. He made the young investigator stop and grilled him about wasting time, before allowing him entrance.

Wendy tried not give him a piece of her mind, at this point quite fed up with people being overbearing to her friends. Stan caught sight of her balled fists, and snapped her out of it before she did something she might regret, "Hey, you wanna drive back home?"

"No thanks. I've got my bike."

She turned away from Ford's vision and moved to her bike. Unchaining it, she took one last look at the shabby tourist attraction/living quarters, before peddling away in the direction of home.

* * *

 **Well…it happened. I'm not a big fan of artists being defined by one particular part of their career, but what the hell right? I promised a sequel didn't I? And since the series is probably weeks away from completion, it is now or never. Hopefully, this is a vast improvement from the original story (I will go back and edit that one sometime, probably soon). This is the last Wendip story I probably will ever write.**

 **Ford isn't going to be a dick the whole story through, I don't believe in reducing characters to flat dimensions for the purpose of serving as an antagonistic force. We're just not seeing the best light of him in this particular chapter. Uploads will most likely be slow because I'm not sure in what direction I want the second chapter to go. Everything else is pretty much planned, the story will be 5 or 6 chapters long most likely.**

 **Thank you all for reading, have a good day, and happy holidays to all!**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

* * *

Wendy heard bird song.

Grass bristled against the back of her neck, and dew dried against her forehead. As her eyes fluttered open, she was struck with the strange sense of déjà vu. She stared up at the overcast sky, with gnarled branches encroaching upon the darkening atmosphere. For a moment, she just lay there and watched as the clouds swirled slightly into a shape reminiscent of a hurricane. The bushes nearby rustled, but when the teen looked their way she spotted nothing. Placing both hands on the ground, she stumbled into a stand.

A small bark caught her attention, and she approached the center of the forest clearing, intent on discovering the creator of the sound. A tabby kitten lay where the ground dipped into a slight dent in the earth. The kitten rolled back and forth, before looking up at her with brightly intelligent eyes. It leaped to its feet and yipped happily, causing her to laugh and bend to one knee. She reached out and scratched its head lightly, causing the creature to purr endearingly and rub itself against her legs.

"Gee little guy…your pretty far from home…aren't you?"

As she said this, she noticed the pattern upon its forehead. Brushing apart its fur to see it better, Wendy stared at the big dipper mark with growing confusion. The discovery disturbed the feline, however, and the puppy whimpered before squirming out of her grasp. It retreated into a nearby log, and she scrambled after it.

"Dipper! Wait!"

She jumped to her feet and felt rain splash against her back as she followed the cat.

"I'm not gonna hurt you!"

Wendy reached the log and fell to her knees as she uselessly peered inside. There was no reply after she called out again, so she sat there and continued calling for the cat, uncaring to the mounting tempest which would soon drench her. She stared inside, calling out her best friend's name again and again. The hair on the back of her neck pricked as she received a low growl as her only response. Her stomach twisted as her eyes adjusted to the dark, and she spotted what lay crouched inside the dead tree.

A gray tiger leaped forwards and pinned her to the quickly dying grass. Unable to speak, or even breathe, she stared into its green glowing eyes. She could see unnamable dreads and unsought dreams swimming in those eyes. She could see long-lost cities, crashing meteorites, and swirling cosmos. The beast opened its mouth and roared until the entire world began to shake with it. The ground crumbled beneath her, and horrible, high-pitched laughter filled the air as the eye of the storm became sheer darkness. A horribly deep voice filled the air, one which felt terrifyingly familiar but still a lifetime ago.

 **"The Age of Ice has finally come to an end…"**

Wendy snapped awake.

Her wide eyes stared at the glimpse of sunlight which peaked into her room from her tiny window. Just staring at the sunlight healed her of the nightmarish images which now dwelled within her. She felt like a little child who had stumbled upon her parents burying a body in the back yard. Something had been shown to her, something which she did NOT want to see. Something which did not belong had been jammed into her head, and now she felt ready to vomit.

Instead, she stopped gripping the blankets and tried to take slow breaths. Her vision was still bleeding into the darkness, as the shadows which filled the room mimicked the tiger and the tree branches which tore into the sky like hooked claws. It felt like her heart had begun attempting to break out of her chest by pounding against the flesh and bones which protected it.

Finally catching her breath, she glanced over at her alarm clock to find that she was awake half an hour early. Knowing full well that she would be unable to fall back asleep after this, Wendy eased her way out of the bed. She got dressed faster than usual and exited the house with a sickened stomach.

It had been two weeks since the twins had returned, and although they had hung out a little, Dipper spent most of his time with Ford, while Mabel spent the majority of hers with Pacifica. As such, Wendy had cherished the times when she got to uncover something with the twins (who had not ceased their search of mysterious entities and technology), or even just enjoy a conversation with them. She had started going to work earlier as a result, and lost quite a bit of sleep the previous night, watching a corny horror movie with Dipper.

So she fumbled with the lock for a few moments, the earliness of the hour contributing to her state of alert exhaustion. Finally finished, she slipped the bike lock into her pocket, and took one last look at her house, before peddling towards her place of work.

The forest seemed unsettling to say the least this morning. The darkness caused the movements of forest animals to be seen as full-blown attacks by her sleep deprived mind, and visions of her nightmare returned frequently without warning. Wendy considered it a miracle when she made it to The Shack in one piece and had she not dropped the lock due to sleepiness, she wouldn't have still been outside when two voices came rambling up the path.

"I don't see why we have to keep this a secret…"

That was Dipper's voice. She finished locking the bicycle up as quickly as possible and ducked behind the edge of the house.

"It's for her own good, Dipper."

Ford. Wendy sighed and glared at the two shapes which moved through the fog side by side. What's he trying to do now? Make Dipper start keeping secrets like him? She felt her blood boil with this concept, and half considered marching around the corner to confront the old man. Of course, he can give Stan the choice of removing his business, and firing me. Probably not a good idea.

"But what if-"

"Dipper my boy, there are certain things which only the smartest people should know."

How very fascistic of you.

"Like for instance, if all the townsfolk knew that there was a giant spaceship beneath this valley, do you think it would make their lives better?"

"Probably not…still…"

"Of course not! People panic when they interact with what they don't understand. It's best that you and I keep this matter to ourselves…until we know the legitimacy of it."

She heard Dipper let out a defeated sigh, before agreeing. The screen door opened and closed as they entered The Shack without another word.

Wendy felt her stomach churn and wondered how Dipper could agree to conceal something which sounded extremely important. Was he hiding this from his own sister? Who was the "she" they referred to?

"GOTCHYA!"

Wendy let out a scream as two hands clamped down on her shoulders and turned to find a laughing Pacifica.

"Yeesh, I didn't think you'd be so easy to scare."

Wendy glared at the giggling blonde, and leaned against the Shack, "Paz, don't scare someone this early in the morning!"

"-pfff-but it's so much *hmpff* funnier that way!"

Wendy sighed and rubbed her forehead, "Why are you here so early?"

Paz shrugged as she strolled past Wendy, "Couldn't sleep. You?"

Wendy frowned as she followed, "I work here for a living. I HAVE to show up on time."

Despite the snarky reply, Wendy didn't blame Pacifica for wanting to spend as much time as possible out of the house. Over the past two weeks, her parents had grown more and more constrictive. One time she and Mabel had been forced to restrain Dipper before he tackled Preston. Wendy herself had continually felt the urge to strike the millionaires grow exponentially. Every time she saw that awful look on Pacifica's face, she felt the need to whisk her away to someplace where she wouldn't have to live up to her parent's standards, one where she could be free of this terrible anxiety.

Wendy tried not to show this, however. She knew that the blonde was resilient, and could endure strength, but not pity. Her ego was fragile enough as it was. So she bided her time, hoping that eventually the Northwest parents would either realize that their daughter was miserable acting the way they wanted or much more likely, would get rolled over my a steam roller.

The cashier girl was so wrapped up in these thoughts as she entered The Shack that Mabel surprised her by charging out of the kitchen with armfuls of snacks. She wore a red cap and a gray sweater, giving her friends a brace-filled beam as she screeched to a halt in front of them.

"Guys! Guys! I have the tickets, let's go, go, go!"

Wendy and Pacifica exchanged looks, before both giving Mabel a quizzical look.

The enthusiastic brunette rolled her eyes and reached into her sweater. She quickly produced a map and tossed it at Pacifica (who promptly fumbled with it, and held it at length from her body with a red face).

Mabel put her arms on both of their shoulders and swiveled them towards the exit as she explained, "The county fair! C'mon we're gonna miss all the best rides!"

Wendy sighed with a smile, and began poking holes in her plan, "First of all…we're not going to miss anything, the sun is barely up."

Mabel elaborated with a slightly faltering smile, "Those lines, though…"

"Second off, the county fair barely has any rides."

"They'll have more this year…probably."

Pacifica interrupted before Wendy could make the point, once again, that she had a career and had to stay at The Shack all day.

"Were you carrying this map in your bra?!"

Mabel, for perhaps the first time Wendy had ever seen, looked embarrassed.

She paid excellent attention to the ceiling fan as she responded in a small voice, "It's within the bounds of the imagination…"

Pacifica shoved the map into Wendy's hands, before demanding logical motivation behind this insane choice. "WHY?!"

Wendy giggled and pulled Mabel aside as Pacifica exited The Shack and muttered something about cleaning her hand with a spicket.

"Mabel…is there a reason why you bought all those snacks and were so adamant about us visiting the fair?"

The brunette sighed leaned upon the counter with an unenergetic "Splurrrg."

Wendy sat down beside her and pushed her face up, "C'mon, tell me what the problem is and I'll fix it."

Mabel looked at her for a long moment, before glancing the way of the basement. Wendy caught the hint.

"You think Dipper will come."

She nodded glumly, and Wendy felt a tad ticked off at Dipper. Here his sister was desperate to enjoy time with him, and he didn't trust her enough to share whatever he and Ford had discovered. He could be so oblivious sometimes.

"And you'll get to spend the whole day with him…"

Again, she nodded.

Wendy glanced outside and then smirked. "Okay, let me go tell Pacifica and I'm sure we can finagle him into it."

She exited The Shack, located Pacifica, and informed her as to Mabel's plan. As the blonde considered spending her day at the fair, it occurred to Wendy that the three of them all wanted to spend time with a person who did not consider himself very socially adept in the first place.

Paz raised a humorous eyebrow, "Do we get to use our feminine wiles?"

Wendy gave her a look which silenced that idea and then blew it into a million pieces, before returning inside The Shack.

The blonde grinned like a gremlin, and tittered as she followed, "All though I suppose it's boyish wiles for you."

Wendy turned her way as the door swung open and they entered, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Pacifica looked to Mabel for help, "C'mon Mabes, you know as well as I do that Wendy isn't exactly Madame Dainty."

Wendy gave her a glare worthy of her massive father, "AND? What's the matter with not wearing make-up?"

Mabel spoke up tentatively, "WELL…it's not just that you don't wear makeup. You don't really clean yourself very often, you wear boy clothes, and you uh…you're pretty confrontational."

Her voice waded off into quiet when Wendy cast a scowl her way. Pacifica was about to make a wisecrack regarding Wendy's belching habits when inspiration struck. "Wait a second…that's it!"

"What is?" Wendy questioned harshly.

Pacifica moved to her side like a ghoul which had just spotted a graveyard full of fresh corpses, "We're going to give you a MAKEOVER."

Mabel clapped her hands excitedly as Wendy glanced between the two insanely smiling thirteen-year-olds, and gulped.

 ***0***

Wendy did not like this idea.

Pacifica had explained that if they dressed her up, then Dipper would be unable to say no to visit the fair. For the most part, however, it seemed like the blonde just wanted to mess around with her. Wendy didn't know why the blonde was so okay with the idea that Dipper was this enchanted with a girl besides her. The only explanation she could come up with was that Pacifica cared more about making Wendy uncomfortable and roping Dipper into visiting the fair, than she did whether or not dressing up Wendy would cause Dipper to fall head over heels for her.

Which was far more logical than this plan would give credit for.

Wendy had been okay with this idea, at first, uneasy with it, but a little bit interested.

That is until Mabel decided that she needed a dress. Of course, Wendy didn't own any and did not intend on buying any.

"That's fine, we'll just steal one from my mom." Suggested Pacifica in a surprisingly composed tone.

That was when she had begun to dislike the idea. Unfortunately, neither of her companions would be swayed on the subject. After Stan had been convinced to give her the day off (and she was pretty sure he had just given in out of amusement and curiosity), she really didn't have many reasons not to go through with the plan.

First Pacifica had to sneak them in, which was originally going to rely on hiding them in the trunk of her limo. Wendy hadn't liked that idea. She hadn't liked it much more when Mabel wrapped her arms around the two of them and fired her grappling hook at the roof of the mansion. They had been lunched over the metal gate, with Pacifica losing a shoe and her tearing the pant leg of her jeans on one of the metal spikes.

"Well…" Said Mabel as they landed in a hedge maze, "Now you really do need to change your clothes!"

Wendy had not been amused.

It took them half an hour to exit the hedge maze, apparently Pacifica hadn't even known that her parents owned one. Then it had been a matter of avoiding the dozens of servants who worked at the house. They made it all the way up the spiral staircase to the six floor, only to find that Priscilla's room was locked.

Wendy gave Pacifica a death glare, refusing to go to jail for home invasion when she was only a sixteen-year-old. Then Mabel had removed a hair pin from her pocket and begun picking the lock.

"Wait how do you know how to-"

Mabel glanced up at Wendy smugly, "Dipper and I took courses in this kind of stuff. Lock picking, how to look inconspicuous, hacking, disarming traps, etc. You know…just the basic stuff a teen would need."

She stood and smiled as the door swung open.

Swinging her arms as though a magician, she stuck the hairpin into her hair and spoke, "Ladies…"

Wendy clapped as Mabel took a few mock bows, and Pacifica told them both to shush as she tip-toed into the room. Opening the closet, her eyes skimmed over the sea of dresses.

"Now…what color fits you best?"

Mabel and Pacifica spent the next twenty minutes arguing over what color best matched her eyes, her hair, and her complexion. Fed up with the argument, Wendy snatched up a light green dress and stalked into the bathroom. She had some trouble putting on the dress, mostly because she hadn't worn one in years, but refused to give Pacifica and Mabel the satisfaction of admitting that. Instead, she struggled to adjust and re-adjust, and then exited with an expectant look.

"Well uh…what do you think?"

Pacifica stared at her with wide eyes as Mabel beamed and showered praise. Wendy's face turned red as the brunette began dancing around her and telling her how pretty she looked. Pacifica gave her an impressed look, which made Wendy wonder if she really did look as good as Mabel claimed. You knew that you had done something right when you could impress someone as collected as Pacifica.

"Alright…now we get to the make-up."

Wendy felt her palms grow sweaty and forced the two teenage girls to promise that they wouldn't make her look silly before complying and sitting down on the bed.

She spent the next half an hour, sitting as they squabbled over how much of what was required, and covered her face in various paints, as though her face was a blank canvas. They retrieved bits of jewelry, and when they discovered that Wendy did not have punctured ear lobes, Pacifica sighed and retrieved some clip on earrings. Half way through she began to protest, feeling exhausted from not being able to move and from all the days rushing around.

"I still don't get why you can't just dress up…" She addressed Pacifica bitterly.

The blonde rolled her eyes and spoke tritely, "He's already seen me in a dress Corduroy. Just stay still…we're almost done."

Wendy was about to retort when she felt Mabel begin to entangle her fingers with her hair. Jumping slightly, she received glares from both of the girls and returned to mimicking a statue.

"Stay still so I can braid your hair!" Mabel insisted as she splashed water on the long hair and combed through it austerely.

Wendy sighed and endured until they heard footsteps coming up the staircase. Mabel gripped her arm and pulled her towards the window. Pacifica followed with a horrified look on her face.

"My parents aren't supposed to be back until dinner time…" She whispered as Mabel aimed her grappling hook at a redwood nearby. Then the brunette latched her arms around the two of them and leaped out the window sill as she fired. The air swept past Wendy, with her dress billowing as Pacifica called Mabel a variety of words equivalent with insane. They smashed through branches, and Wendy hissed in pain as she landed on her back.

Catching her breath, she had the distinct urge to fall asleep but was jolted into the waking world when Mabel jumped down from the tree and landed inches from her splayed fingers.

Pacifica helped Wendy to a stand, and looked her up and down with a smile, "Excellent. The dress is unharmed."

Wendy grumbled and moved towards town, "Let's just get back to The Shack."

 ***0***

Wendy felt uncomfortable in the dress. Not only did cause walking to become more difficult, and made her feel warmer than she usually did but just wearing it made her feel silly. Although she would never have admitted it, she was happy that they were in the woods, and not moving through the town, for fear that one of her friends would see her and laugh.

Mabel babbled on about everything which moved in and out of her head while Pacifica kept commenting upon Wendy's appearance to make her uncomfortable. Wendy quickly realized why she and Paz didn't have many conversations.

Because the blonde was exceptionally good at being annoying.

She was smart, confident, and hardworking (a harder worker than Wendy). But by god, when she struck gold in the land of teasing, she just kept digging. It became apparent within the first five minutes of their journey that Pacifica had not lost her touch since being a bully. Still, Wendy had to put up with it, as the blonde had come up with this plan in the first place and supplied the dress.

That didn't make it any less annoying when Pacifica pretended to lament the fact that they hadn't bathed her feet to remove the stink. It will all be worth it, she kept telling herself. Unfortunately, the more she reflected upon Dipper's secret keeping, the more she felt the need to reveal it to Pacifica and Mabel. A dead tree chose to interrupt, however. Just as she turned back towards the thirteen-year-olds, she tripped over a log fell forward. Rolling through leaves, she came to a stop with a groan.

Hearing her companions descend the slope, Wendy sat up and spat out dirt. "Well, that was a lot of work for nothing…"

Pacifica and Mabel came to a halt beside her, and both recoiled slightly upon seeing what the fall had done to her once perfect visage.

"It's that bad isn't it?"

Wendy could feel dirt clinging to her skin, and felt the ache of light bruises. The make-up was no doubt smeared across the forest floor. One of the clips on earring was missing, and she had skinned her knee. Just talking caused her to taste the cherry fakeness of the lip gloss and the iron bite of seeping blood.

They glanced at each for a moment, before both nodding slowly.

Sighing heavily, Wendy forced herself to her feet and felt her knee hiss with pain. She shuffled towards home, and Mabel called out.

"Wh-where are you going?"

"Home Mabel. The plan is ruined, I shouldn't have agreed to it in the first place. This whole idea was a silly mess. I didn't get very much sleep anyway…so I am going home."

She despised the harshness which crept into her voice but felt done with everything about the day. First a stomach-churning nightmare, then her best friend turns out to trust an old man he barely knows more than her. Then she gets all dressed up, endures all the uncomfortable makeup and the jibes, just so that she can spend her time with said backstabbing friend, only to trip over a log. All the hard work had gone to waste, and she now hurt in a million and one places. She felt like crying but was too old and too hardboiled for that. So instead, she felt like flopping down on her bed, listening to some good music as she almost cried.

"Wendy?"

She looked up at the voice and found Dipper staring at her from the top of the hill. It took a second to recognize him, with massive goggles blocking his eyes and a black and silver knapsack over his shoulder. He stared at her through the green glass lenses of his goggles and adjusted the massive sci-fi rifle which hung from a neck strap. Tossing off the gear, he sprinted downhill. He stopped just before crashing into her, and his eyes searched her for a long moment.

"You need to a first aid. C'mon there's one in The Shack."

He took her hand and pulled her towards The Shack as she found herself protesting, "But doesn't Ford need you?"

Dipper swatted the worry aside and pulled her past the astonished Pacifica and Mabel. "We already defeated the giant wasp colony. He'll be fine."

He glanced back at her as he pushed aside branches, and she blushed at his next words. "The important thing is that we get you patched up."

He grinned at seeing her face go red and then located the reason why she was out of breath trying to keep up with him. Slowing down, he bent and stared at her skinned knee.

"Sorry about the dress…I would be going faster but-"

"No, I like it. I'm not going to make you run on your hurt leg anyway."

She frowned as he stood, "Well then what are you-"

In an instant, his arms had wrapped around her back and legs, and she squeaked lightly as he lifted her off of the ground. Taking a moment to catch his breath, her prince in shining armor charged off in the direction of his great uncle's abode. She felt she should protest as he was practically falling over under her weight.

But something incredibly strange, yet incredibly pleasant about being carried. She could feel the muscle in his arms, and it became clear that they were no long the quote-on-quote "noodle" arms of last summer. She had always prided herself on self-sufficiency, but it felt almost, touching that someone would care this much about her. It helped that his scent was strangely attractive and that the noises he made were quite amusing.

Finally, they reached the sagging building, and despite how much she wanted to stay in his arms, Wendy told him to let her down. He was about to fall over with exhaustion after all. He ran inside as she sat on the front porch, catching herself when she began to play with her hair. This dress is having weird psychological repercussions upon my psyche.

He returned, still wearing a smile, and flipped open the First Aid.

"Now Wendy Corduroy, this is the third time this week you've been to my office, is there something wrong with you, young lady?" She giggled at the silly voice, and for a moment, the aches and pains seemed unimportant.

He began to wrap a bandage around her elbow as she responded, "Oh I'm sorry sir, but I have fallen in love with Waddles, and now I keep falling head over heels."

Dipper chuckled, and shook his head, "Now I'll have to duel him for your hand lady Corduroy."

She giggled harder this time, "You *hee-hee* really need to be a voice actor, I can hardly recognize you when you do those voices."

He smiled up at her, and again everything felt right.

And again it was interrupted.

Ford called Dipper on his walkie-talkie and explained that there were still a dozen giant wasps left in the woods. Dipper sighed, and wrapped a pink band-aid around her thumb, before telling her that he would be back soon. Before he left, however, Wendy made him promise that he would spend the next weekend camping with her, Mabel, and Pacifica. He had agreed with a small smile, which gave the impression that he missed hanging with them as much as they had with him.

She watched him go with a growing tightness in her stomach. Oh, she had definitely fallen now. The only thing to decide now was how _far_ she would fall before she grabbed at the wall to keep from going splat.

* * *

 ** _Thank you all for your patience and your wonderful reviews. Hopefully this went well._**

 ** _Everything in the dream sequence has a meaning by the way. I'd love to hear your interpetations in your reviews. :)_**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

 _ **Things start to get dark from this point on. Not M rated dark but dark.**_

* * *

Wendy stood at the mouth of a cave, a torch in hand. She stared into the vast emptiness, and then glanced down to see the same tabby cat. It gave her a strange look and then darted into the cave. She bolted after it, scrambling up a mass of boulders and discovering a hideous beast of incredible size. It was shaped like an eggplant with little bumps scattered over its blue-black hide. It turned eleven yellow eyes on her and lurched to a stand. Staring up its pale underside, Wendy watched as green spit fell from its maw and splashed against the ground.

The green substance hissed against the ground, and the cat darted behind her as the creature turned its faceless head towards the intruder. Wendy noticed that the torch was beginning to flicker blue and purple, and tossed it towards the beast's sperm whale-esque head. The fire burst across its lengthy form, the skin bubbling with the heat as the cave was filled with molten rage. Roaring over and over again, the creature slammed itself against the walls of the cave. Stalactites shook in their place and smashed against the floor of the cave, causing Wendy to scoop up the cat and back away from the burning monster. Scorching down to a skeleton, the beast smiled and dove towards the ground. Cracks streaked throughout the tunnel and Wendy stared into the fiery form as she fell in after it, clutching the cat.

"Wendy! Wake up!"

The redhead's eyes fluttered open, and she stared up at Dipper. He crouched beside her, a look of worry apparent on his face despite the dim light of the tent lantern.

"You were having a nightmare," He explained as she tried to get a good understanding of her surroundings.

The sun wasn't far enough up yet to illuminate the tent and the sleeping bodies of Mabel and Pacifica. That or the bulk of Mount Valor prevent it from reaching them for the most part until it was higher in the sky.

Sitting up, Wendy noticed the bags under Dipper's eyes and voiced her concern. "You look like you didn't get very much sleep."

She would have assumed that Dipper would have been tired enough from yesterday's hiking and scary story marathon to have fallen straight asleep. Apparently, however, he had gotten even less sleep than her.

He gave a scrap of a smile, and stretched his legs, "I'm fine. I haven't been able to sleep well for a while now. It's become part of my routine."

Wendy frowned and propped a pillow behind her back, "Wait, for how long?"

He shrugged, and she got the impression that he honestly did not know. "Couple…months I guess. I don't know…it can't be for more than half a year."  
"Wait-What?!"

He put a finger to his lips, and she glanced at Mabel and Paz, before nodding and taking a deep breath. Mosquitos buzzed about outside as she tried to understand how she could have ignored this. She should have known, how could she not? She had seen him every day for the past four weeks, had she really been so wrapped up in her infatuation that she didn't realize this?

"How have you…why?"

He shrugged, "No idea. Even Great Uncle Ford doesn't know. I figure that it's got something to do with Bill cursing me before we banished him to the eleventh circle of heck. The therapist I went to-"

"You went to a therapist?"

"My parents insisted. He told me that it had to do with my psychological state or something to that effect. He gave me some pills and it hasn't been as bad."

"But I mean…how have you been so lively, so energetic. You don't…" Dipper nodded along, "I mean, you were always up early! How did you…"

"You get used to it after a while. Not the nightmares but…the sleeplessness."

She absorbed this as she ran a hand through her hair. After a moment of staring at the tent floor, her face twisted in despair.

Dipper was at her side immediately, "Wendy…what's wrong?"

Wendy shook her head, trying to pull herself together. Trying not to be the overemotional teenage girl at the moment.

It did not work.

The words came with force applied, and she looked up at Dipper, seeing someone entirely different than her best friend of twelve year age. She was about to let it all off her chest when she realized that she would not be able to do it quietly.

"Can we please go outside?"  
He took a moment to stare at her, before nodding and unzipping the tent flap. She slipped past him, trying not to feel awkward for not just being so close to him, but for daring to reveal her feelings. Wendy rung her hands as he approached. She could hear his shoes grind against the gravel, and felt like the grim reaper was approaching. Turning towards him, she felt ready to vomit up her dinner of marshmallows and hot dogs. But when she looked at his face, when she spotted the bravery and understanding, she couldn't help but feel the words pour out.

"Dipper…you're not the same. And-and I should have known that. But when we talked on the phone…when we texted…"

He moved his gaze to the ground, and she felt horrible for speaking her mind. She could not contain it any longer. She had waited so long to get this off her chest, and could not close the dam which she had opened.

"Nothing is the same anymore…I mean, sure we have fun…but it never lasts. It never-" She choked a sob, and forced herself to continue, "Your always working, and I'm always working to get your attention. And I know that used to be the reverse…and I feel so bad that I ever rejected you. We both know...we both know what happened last summer and I-I-I can't w-wait any longer Dipper. I know it won't work out between you and me, but I want it to anyway…but I don't feel like I can…I-I end up feeling like an idiot. I can't-I can't… _stand it._ I need to know if you still…if you…"

He moved forward and wrapped his arms around her, "Wendy."

She felt herself slipping away, her legs beginning to buckle. "Wendy!"

The demand in his voice caused her to look up and brush tears from her eyes. She didn't know how she could get much lower. _Next time you should ask a toddler for comfort instead of dealing with your problems like an adult._ She told her self-loathing conscious to shut up. Dipper was a person. He was a thirteen-year-old, he was a boy. But he was also her friend. And he was a person, with strength, weakness, confidence, anxiety, and a lower-profile enthusiasm which made her so damn happy every time he was. She refused to think of him as anything less.

"Listen to me, Wendy."

She nodded and forced herself to look him in the eyes. "You are not an idiot. You are not going to think of yourself that way. Not as long as I can help it. You can't control your feelings, no one can. And if you could, they wouldn't be feelings. They would be useless thoughts. I know that I haven't been…the same as you remember me. But I can't help that. And I know I've been…avoiding you and Paz. I know that I need to man up. I promise that once we get back into town, we'll work this out."

She straightened up and wiped her eyes. "But can you please, can we enjoy the rest of this day without that ugliness? I understand if you don't want to wait, but I…"

 _You don't want to lose someone._ Wendy gave a steady nod, and he nearly shrank in relief.

"You are a life saver Corduroy."

Wendy smiled and hoped that she didn't sound too much like a frog when she spoke, "Thanks."

Dipper glanced back at the tent, and then at the rising sun. "Do you uh, want to talk for a while?"

"Talk about what?"

He scratched the back of his neck, and shivered lightly in the morning air, "I don't know, get to know each other a little better. I mean…for us to share everything that happened in the past year and all that…I guess it's a stupid idea, never mind."

She grinned and shook her head, "It's a great idea. I have a better way to do it, though."

He caught sight of the evil grin on her face, and she giggled when his eyes bulged slightly.

 ***0***

Wendy had only played Truth or Dare a couple times before but was brimming with excitement to play it with Dipper. He, of course, insisted on making the game more complex once she explained it. He brought out thirty sided die from his bag, to which she teased him incessantly. He proceeded to mock her habit of carrying an ax in her luggage, and after a light-hearted exchange of insults, Dipper finally got her to sit still and listen as he rattled off his newly invented set of rules.

They would choose to tell a truth, or perform a dare, but after they did, the person who's turn it was had to roll the die. If they rolled 1-10 then the dare/truth had to be minor, if they rolled an 11-25 then it would be harsh but not too extreme, and if it was a 26-30 then the request could be brutal as the roller wished. He said that this would add more tension to the game, but she was pretty sure that it was just a way to avoid too humiliating challenges.

Wendy insisted on going first and tossed the dice across the picnic table after Dipper chose Dare. They landed on thirteen.

"That's an unlucky number, Mr. Pines," She said in a challenging voice.

He smiled and winked, "Well someone has certainly been doing her occult research!"

She blushed, not wanting to admit how much she had gotten into superstition in his absence. "Just lick this table you, bozo."

He glanced at the splintery surface, before positioning himself at the end of the table. Slowly he ran his tongue across its grimy surface, Wendy giggling as he was careful to miss any sharp points. When the dare was complete, he moved over to the spicket and gurgled tap water for five minutes. She drifted in and out of hysterics as he did so, and stifled laughter as he returned to the table.

She chose truth, and he rolled a six.

Guffawing at his unimpressed expression, Wendy calmed herself with some quick breathing.

"Oh shut up," He insisted as he tried to think of something innocent yet juicy.

"Got it. What's the worst camping story you have?"

She rolled her eyes and tried to sift through the sea of memories, "Well…hmm…I guess this one time when I was nine. I got separated from the group on a hike, I wanted to follow these weird tracks. Anyway…it started raining and I panicked. Eventually, I met back up with everybody else, but by then, I was crying like a baby."

She grabbed the die the moment the confession had ended and smiled, "Now, truth or dare nerd?"

He picked the former, and she noticed that his fingers tensed slightly as the thirty-sided die rolled across the uneven wood. It landed on ten, however, and she pouted.

"Now you know how it feels…" He teased, and she flicked a twig at his nose. He ducked, and she spoke.

"If you had to choose between kissing The Shapeshifter and The Gremgoblin…which would it be?"

He stroked his chin as though analyzing the integrity of the universe, and spoke hesitantly, "Well The Shapeshifter's mouth is REALLY disgusting, but I would have to look into the Gremgoblin's eyes, and go insane."

"Just pick already Socrates."

"Hold on a second, I'm trying to remember what kissing a Merman was like."

"You kissed a Mermaid?!"

"No, I kissed a _merman._ "

"What-how-WHY?!"

"I had to perform CPR. Or reverse CPR I guess. It was when I was assistant lifeguard last summer. Mabel probably still has the pictures…"  
"All right enough chit-chat, who are you dying to profess your love to?"

"Fine…the Gremgoblin."

She made an "akk-akk" noise and pointed at her throat as he picked up the dice.

"You better choose dare, you red-haired minx."

She shrugged, "Fine. I'm ready for anything mister goblin-smoocher."

He rolled a fifteen and cursed. "Alright…get your oh-so-important ax and…chop down that tree!"

He pointed to a nearby pine, and she rolled her eyes before moving to the tent. Removing the ax from her bag, she sprinted over to the tree and began hacking away at it. Dipper watched with surprise as she began taking down the tree at a grand speed. Bits of mulch flew past her as she hacked harder and harder, stepping back before giving one exhausted kick, and watching the tree fall over. Turning to him with a smile, she looped the ax to her belt. .

"Piece a cake," She claimed, causing him to snort humorously.  
Just as she picked up the die, Mabel crawled out of the tent. "What are you guys doing? I heard a tree fall."

Dipper and Wendy exchanged looks before Wendy smiled and explained. "We're playing truth or dare, except with Dipper's nerd rules."

She stared at them for a long moment, before bolting over to the table, still wearing pajama pants. "So…can I play?"

Wendy tossed her the die before Dipper could even give her a shocked glance, and Wendy explained the rules as she fetched a water bottle from the car. Mabel took a probably unnecessary amount of time to decide who she wanted to choose, and Wendy found herself snorting through the water she drank.

"BRO-BRO!"

Dipper shrank under her pointing finger but then straightened smugly. "I choose Truth. You already know everything about me anyway!"

Mabel paused and then grew a fiendish look, "Not…EVERYTHING."

She rolled the die before Dipper couldn't think too hard about it, and it landed on fourteen.

"EXCELLENT. Dipper…" He squeaked, "Do you think that Great Uncle Ford could benefit from having a lady-friend?"

The boy turned bright red, and Wendy high-fived Mabel. "Nice question Mabes."

Mabel turned to Dipper, "Well?"

Her brother caved, rubbing his neck and trying to avoid all eye contact. "I guess…I mean…I think he would be happier if he had…a girlfriend."

Mabel burst out laughing, and Dipper grabbed the die with red ears. "Alright sister, let's see how you like it! Truth or dare?"

She smirked, "Ummm…dare!"

Dipper rolled a nineteen and pumped his fist in the air, "Okay…go into that tent…"

He pointed and snatched Wendy's water bottle up from her, "…and dump this on Pacifica."

Mabel stared at the bottle for a moment, before grabbing it from his hands and rushing towards the tent. Wendy gave him an "are you sure about this" look, but before the vengeful twin could reassure Pacifica screamed loud enough to cause nearby bird's to flood the sky. The blonde half-walked half-fell out of the tent and Mabel followed with a couple scratches from Pacifica's instinctual attack.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Dipper coughed and struggled for words as the wet and now extremely irritated Pacifica glared him down. Wendy explained the game and made sure to stress how this was very much Dipper's fault.

Pacifica put her tongue in her cheek, before smiling and sitting down. Her gaze moved around the table, before ending on Wendy.

"Truth or dare?"

Not looking forward to being splashed with water, Wendy answered the truth. Pacifica rolled a five and groaned.

"Alright…if you had to choose between kissing me and Mabel…"

Dipper looked mortified and was relieved when Wendy protested. "That's not an easy truth. You can't do that."

The blonde rolled her eyes and murmured something about playing with wimps. Then she rubbed her chin and smiled.

"How about this, you answer this question, and the next one you ask me can be of whatever difficulty you want!"

Wendy took a second to process the proposition, before shaking hands with the Northwest. Dipper glanced between them, unable to utter full sentences with this new, disturbing development. Mabel just watched it all with unblinking, still unsure of how to respond to this pact.

"Now answer the question, which one of us would you rather smooch?"

She gestured between herself and the blushing brunette, a raised eyebrow adding to Wendy's annoyance. Dipper seemed to _want_ to interrupt this violation of the rules but was too busy anticipating to do so. Wendy gave him a critical glance, before turning her attention to her boots as she answered.

"I guess…if I had to choose…it would be Mabel."

The enthusiastic brunette turned bright red as Dipper nearly fainted, and Pacifica grinned harder. Glancing up, Wendy realized that the blonde had probably done this innumerable times before. Before Mabel and Dipper, Pacifica's friends had been air-head doofuses who no doubt played this and similarly friendship breaking games all the time. She wondered how many times Pacifica had answered a similar question to the one she had just posed.

Of course, she had to push it.

"I figured as much. It's because she looks like Dipper, isn't it?"

Wendy would have very much liked it if a bomb had dropped on her at that moment and ended the humiliation. Unfortunately, all she could do was glare daggers at Pacifica's smiling face. She could feel Dipper and Mabel's eyes on her, and the embarrassment brought that terrible itch over her skin. _How did she think that kind of thing is appropriate to say? How does she look so infuriatingly perfect this early in the morning anyway?_ Wendy's frustration reached a bubbling point, and she gave the choice to Pacifica.

The blonde was too confident for the truth to have been a threat up until this point. Her blatancy was one of her defining features. But something in Wendy's eyes, something about the way that she asked the question, caused fear to creep onto the valley girl's confident demeanor.

"Dare."

 ***0***

Pacifica stared across the river at the rocky ledge which she was supposed to swing to. A large vine hung beside her, and the boulder which she was supposed to jump off of lay to her left. Wendy gave her a smug look as she stared at the tumulus waters and sharpened rocks, and Pacifica ignored Dipper's suggestions that the game had gone too far. Neither teen, however, was listening. They had locked eyes, and the Pines Twins were irrelevant in their growing frustration with one another.

 _"I dare you to jump across the creek."_

Pacifica had given Wendy a steely look, and for a moment, they had both waited in silence. Then Pacifica had asked for the ginger to lead her to the river. It hadn't been any more shocking that Paz would do as requested, any more than it had been for Wendy to give this kind of dare. What had been surprising, was when the blonde got a look at just how dangerous this particular river was, and still did not back down. Wendy had apparently underestimated her pride.

Although she was still bubbling with rage, Wendy had to admit that a small part of her was impressed that Pacifica would follow through with this. The Northwest had not displayed much bravery in her presence previous to this, although Wendy considered anyone who could stand up to herself when she was angry, was at least a little brave. As Pacifica took the vine, and climbed on top of the boulder, almost skidding on the slippery moss which coated it, Wendy realized that she did not want Pacifica to follow through with the dare.

She glanced at Dipper and saw terror in his eyes. She could see the wheels turning in his mind, a factory producing all the possible ways in which this situation could end in disaster. Beside him, his sister watched with hands to her lips. The wind tugged at her skirt as she watched, unsure if she should interfere. Dipper noticed that she had looked his way, and mouthed a plea to stop this before it all went horribly wrong. Wendy turned back and saw Pacifica take a deep breath, the sound blocked out by the roar of the rapids.

"Wait, Paz-!"

The blonde looked back, and cast a scowl Wendy's way, before leaping forward. Her legs skimmed the water as the vine tore off of the redwood it clung to, and snapped. Pacifica splashed into the cold water, and within seconds, it became clear that she was unable to fight the current. Wendy bolted forward and unclipped her ax from her belt. As it smacked against the wet sand, she jumped into the water as soon. As it turned out, she wasn't particularly strong in comparison either. Nonetheless, she darted from rock to rock and found Pacifica clinging to a particularly sharp stone. Her fingers bled as her soaked form thrashed up and down.

"PACIFICA! GIVE ME YOUR HAND!"

The rich girl looked up and stretched out her hand. Their finger's grasped at air, inches away from each other. Wendy stretched out her arm but realized that she would have to let go of the rather are rock which she was currently clinging to if she wanted to save the blonde. For a brief moment, she wondered if she should tell the blonde to leap forward. After all, SHE was the one who had continued with this, she was the one who baited this out.

Kicking herself for ever suggesting this weekend get-away, the redhead risked her life by jumping forward and gripping the much smaller stone. She wrapped an arm around Pacifica's and pulled it over her shoulder. She was beginning to run out of stamina, however, and desperately glanced about in an attempt to find something, ANYTHING which would get them to shore.

"WENDY! OVER HERE!"

The twin had fetched rope from the camp and stood ready to heave both of them back onto the ground.

Wendy looked over at Pacifica, "Are you ready to swim for all you've got?"

She could feel her grip on the rock loosening, and her heart grew impatient as Pacifica struggled to answer. "I-I guess…"

 _Good enough for me._ Wendy kicked off of the rock and felt Pacifica's arms splash the water in a more or less useless attempt. The end of the rope landed nearby, and Wendy grabbed it with the last bit of strength she had. Water went up her nose as she was tugged underwater and then yanked back out. She sputtered up water as Pacifica, who had already reached the shore, yanked her up by her shoulders. Wendy's coat began to tear as she gasped for breath, and she shivered as a powerful wind began to blow through the forest. A chopping roar filled the air, and she rolled onto her side to find that a helicopter was descending towards them. _Oh, what now?_

It landed a few feet away from the huddled teen, and two men in black suits jumped out. They were followed by Preston Northwest, who immediately fixed his glare upon Dipper. The two men in black suits rushed over, elbowing Mabel and Dipper, as they hoisted Pacifica to her feet. Preston grabbed her hand and practically dragged her to the helicopter.

"You stupid, stupid girl. This is what happens when you go on trips without your parent's approval."

She glanced back at her friends, "But how did you-"

"Shut up you insolent girl. I should have known you would have gotten yourself in a life and death situation."

Dipper got to his feet and bolted after them, "Wait, sir!"

The guards shoved him backward to prevent him from coming within the vicinity of the tycoon, and Preston glared his way. "Stay away from my daughter you piece of filth. I'm sick you endangering her future."

The guards gave Dipper a kick to the stomach, preventing him from getting any other words out.

Pacifica broke her father's hold to call out the guards. "Leave him alone you assholes! He didn't do anything!"

The guards looked her way with smug expressions but faltered when Mabel picked up Wendy's ax and took a menacing step forward. They parted, cornered Pacifica against the helicopter.

"Enough of this Disrespect!" Preston grabbed his daughter's arm, and she howled in the pain of his grip as he pulled her into the machine.

The guards cast one last sneer their way and slammed the helicopter door close. The rotors began to spin and the helicopter lifted into the cloudy sky. Mabel helped Dipper to his feet, and he glared up at the helicopter. Wendy lay on the ground, watching as he shook with frustration and anger. Finally, she stood and took her ax from Mabel. She told them to pack their things. They were heading back into town.

 ***0***

Preston paced back and forth across the grand hall. His wife sat beside the grand fire, cradling a wine cup in her left hand. He didn't comment as to how early it was to be ingesting alcohol, too caught up in staring out the window at the gray skies. His daughter's demands to be let out of her room interrupted his mile a minute though process, and he wished that she could turn off her sound like he could a TV. Placing his hands upon his temple, he rubbed and growled lightly. As his eyes re-opened, a flash of lightning outside highlighted the portrait of his father hanging to the wall.

The painted man who so closely resembled him glared down with those constantly disapproving eyes. He remembered the frequent beatings he had received as a child at the hands of his father and cursed his own weakness for not punishing Pacifica as drastically. All his life that man had glared down upon him, every mistake had been met with that terrifying look, followed swiftly by brutal punishment. When Preston had watched them lower him into the ground, he had assumed that was the end of such glares. He was food for the worms now, never again to bother his son. But he was wrong. Whoever had created this painting had been awfully good at capturing the reality. They had captured that glare horribly perfectly. His father stared down, peering into his very soul. He could just hear the snort of disapproval when he had shown the man his first business, his wife, and his first house. She was a failure, HE was a failure. The dynasty would fall, centuries work gone to waste because of one stupid little girl and her cowardly father.

He licked his lips and felt ready to taste wine alongside his wife. As he turned his gaze upon her, he felt his hands tighten. She had been useless in training Pacifica, she had laid about and thrown her expensive parties, wasting his money while he worked himself down to the bone to preserve the legacy of his ancestors. The urge to drink proved insignificant against the urge to smash the drink in her hand against her face.

She noticed that he was looking her way and spoke up, "Stop pacing back and forth Preston. It's just a phase. She'll be back to her old self after a little…isolation."

He snapped "Oh shut up! Why don't you go off on another affair instead of giving useless advice? You never raised her. I'll know her better than you ever will."

It gave him useless satisfaction to see her gape with shock. He was about to leave the room, for fear of receiving a chorus of abuse. She had thrown wine glasses, books, paper weights, and statuettes all before. Several times he had been forced to get emergency stitches several times due to his wife's tantrums. But before he could bolt up the staircase, loud knock struck the door. For a moment rage turned to confusion as the married couple glanced at each other. _The gate hadn't been opened._

Preston ran to the window and double checked. The gate was as locked as it had ever been. Glancing back at Priscilla, he jumped when there was louder thumping against the door. Reaching over, he opened the door a crack, wishing that Unions had never existed, so that his Butler would have to work weekends.

A man dressed in a dark brown coat stood on the other side, one who towered over him, with silver eyes. "Mr. Northwest, I am here to offer my services."

The man pressed a gloved hand against the doorframe, and Preston found it impossible to close the door.

"What…do you mean?"

The man grinned, revealing gnarled teeth which belonged in a lion's mouth, and removed a small gun. It had a bulb for a barrel and looked like something out of a bad sci-fi book. He put it into Preston's view, and the rich man read the words imprinted upon the side as the man spoke. MEMORY ERASING GUN was scrawled on the piece of paper which clung to the side of the gun, causing Preston's eyes to widen.

"I'm going to kill Dipper Pines, and erase his existence."

* * *

 _ **Hopefully, everyone is in character here. The bounty hunter with silver eyes and nasty teeth is not an OC. He has appeared in the show before. ;)**_

 **"I really loved the first story and this one is so much better and I hope you keep updating I love how Wendy and Dipper always act when they're with each other plus please don't make Mabel and Dipper move we still need the Mystery Twins to fight the supernatural" ~ Katow-Jo1017**

 ** _I'll do the best I can to tell the best story I can. Whether that involves the Twin's splitting up or not, we'll have to see._**

 **"Read the previous fanfiction thought it was brilliant and I loved the emotional drama between all of the character. This one is even better now, love where** it's **going and definitely worth another 5** days **wait :)" ~ Newboy**

 _ **Good to know that everyone thinks this one is better than the last. Sequels are rarely better.**_

 **"Ford REALLY needs a social life, and a reality check." ~ Keeper of Worlds**

 _ **Ford and Social life are on two separate planes of reality.**_ _ **;)**_

 **"Well, I guess all the good words was spoken already, so... Perfect, as always. Already laughed while imagining Dipper carrying Wendy princess-style and tripping over the log... with several consequences :D**  
 **Can't wait for more, as always :)**  
 **Stay safe." ~ ilya39**

 _ **I was afraid that there wasn't enough comedy.**_

 _ **You too!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

 ** _The main villain revealed in this chapter. ;)_ **

* * *

Wendy glanced over at Dipper. He sat in the passenger seat, his attention focused upon the storm outside. He seemed unaware of the constant bumps which her dad's van crossed as they drove down the mountainside. Nor did he pay any attention about the awkward silence which rested within the van, with the driver too focused on the road to turn on the radio. Mabel lay in the backseat, her eyes on her lap. Wendy didn't know if the brunette was feeling shame at not preventing the dare, or guilt for ever getting Pacifica involved. At the moment, she was too busy with her own feelings to gain that level of insight into Mabel's mind.

While she sat in unhappy contemplation, her brother glared at the storm clouds with mounting rage. Wendy could see his hands clench and unclench, and could just catch the threats which he was muttering under his breath. He had gotten better at talking to himself in a quieter voice since they had fought the shape-shifter and she had revealed that she could hear him. His breath became more ragged as his whole form began to shake, causing a rising tension to form within the truck.

She tried to ignore it, wanting desperately to ignore the awful situation which the three of them were in. But as she glanced at Mabel, she realized that this whole situation was torture for her. _She didn't do anything. Out of all of us, she probably screwed up the least._ She glanced over at her best friend, his promise of choosing between her and Paz echoing through her mind. It all seemed so trivial after almost drowning and watching one of your friends be practically kidnapped. _But you still want to know_ , the little voice in her head insisted.

This was neither the time nor the place, however, and as Dipper's seething became so unsettling that she felt ready to break down, Wendy found herself speaking. "I'm sorry."

He looked up from the window with a jolt, the words returning him to reality. "Wait…what?"

"I'm sorry I took it too far. This is all my fault." She swallowed down the aching in her throat and winced in preparation for his outburst.

Instead, he stared at her for a long time. Mabel seemed unsure if the apology had brought happiness, but was relieved that Dipper was no longer venting in such a psychotic fashion. For a long moment, however, that uncertainty remained, and began to weigh upon them all.

Then Dipper broke the silence. "It's not your fault that Pacifica's dad is a bastard."

Mabel gasped at the strong language but did not disagree with the assertion. Wendy felt relief fill her with the rather selfish assurance that he was not angry at HER.

Her guilty conscience anyway, "But I-"

"Wendy, you challenged Pacifica to a REALLY stupid dare. And I'm disappointed in you for doing that-"

She inhaled, her throat now dry all of a sudden.

"-but it's not the reason I'm pissed off." He ran a hand through his hair and stared out the windshield at the raindrops.

They pelted, gathered, and slid off to collect more and more dirt on their endlessly replaced journey. Wendy slowed the car as the rain picked up, and looked over at him. His vision was focused entirely upon the wet asphalt. She could see how difficult it was for him to speak from the concentration upon his face.

Finally, he sat up and spoke in a flat tone. "Pacifica told me last year, over text…about how abusive her parents are. Bill isn't the reason I've been having nightmares for over a year now. That is. I've been trying to…be supportive, and make her feel better. I've tried, and I've tried. But she…but THEY. They don't leave her alone. They don't let her wear what she wants. They're monsters. If you two could hear some of the stuff they've done to manipulate her…it's disgusting. Inhuman. I thought…I thought that we would have the weekend to ourselves. I thought that I could make her…really happy. But instead those assholes, who were probably spying on us from the day we got there, decide to show up just when they have justification…and they...and they take her…away."

Wendy forced herself to return her eyes to the road, but his expression was imprinted into her mind.

"I just want to… _step on them_."

She didn't blink, the hatred in his voice not nearly as shocking as it should have been. It felt too relatable for her to be surprised to hear it within him. He looked up with a broken expression, she looked over then, to see something incredibly inspiring in his eyes. _A plan._ Something about his face, the glint in his eyes. She could see the cogs turning in his head, and liked every moment of it. There was that spark which signaled adventure, cunning, and unpredictability. That thing which made him so fascinating.

"What is it, Dipper?"

He put a hand to his chin, "I want to teach them a lesson, Wendy. I want to scare them into never hurting her again."

Mabel glanced at Wendy and noticed the smile which had begun to spread across her face.

She leaned forward and shook her head with owlish eyes. "No. We've…guys we've gotten I enough trouble today! Please don't…"

Dipper spoke without looking up, "Mabel, Pacifica is our friend. We owe it to her to do this."

His twin protested shrilly, "DIPPER, this isn't going to help ANYBODY! You can't always use your supernatural stuff to solve your problems!"

"Mabel-"

"NO! Wendy almost DIED. Pacifica almost DIED. We don't need ANY MORE dangerous stuff today. Nothing illegal, nothing magic. We need to go home, and call the police."

"Yeah right Mabel, like they're going to listen to me. They hate my guts, and they could be bribed anyway."

"WELL, IT'S BETTER THAN PULLING A STUPID PRANK!"

Wendy swerved onto the side of the road, unable to continue driving while they argued. She caught her breath as the twins glared at one another. Glancing between them, she tried to speak. But Mabel beat her to the punch.

"All you're going to do is piss them off, and make extremely influential enemies."

"I've fought demons, Mabel, I'm not afraid of-"

"But they are HUMAN Dipper. You can't kill them, you can't banish them to the ninth circle of hell because they are people."

He glared at her for a tense moment, and Wendy thought she heard murmur "Why the hell not?" as he climbed out of the van. Mabel growled with anger, but Wendy stopped her as she unbuckled herself.

"I'll help him cool off okay?"

The brunette glared up at her uncharacteristically, "This is all your fault."

The weight behind the words implied that more than just the argument or even the near drowning was her fault. It became clear that Mabel blamed her directly for Dipper and her splitting apart. Wendy swallowed dryly and turned away from the fuming glare. She crossed the road and followed Dipper into the forest.

She approached as he stood in front of a large tree, shuddering in his own frustration. "Dipper-"

He turned towards her and gripped her shoulders, "I can't do this Wendy! I can't sit back and allow this all-"

"I know."

He paused, and his face twisted confusion. "I'll help you Dipper…but whatever your plan is, it has to be traumatic enough that we will never have to deal with those pricks again."

Dipper nodded darkly, "It will be."

Wendy folded her arms, "Did you really…go a whole year knowing all that and not telling anybody?"

"She made me promise not to tell."

"Why…why does she put up with it?" Wendy knew that he wouldn't have a certain answer, but was unable to hold the question.

He gave a tired shrug, looking ready to collapse under the weight of this knowledge he had withheld so long. Everything felt like it was rolling downhill at the moment, but the excitement of the pace at which they were going was evident in her face. He explained to her the plot as they strolled over to the car, and agreed to keep it from Mabel.

The rest of the drive was silent.

 ***0***

The plan was for Dipper to locate the crystals which allowed him to enlarge or shrink things while Wendy retrieved some herbs from the case under Ford's bed. She had been surprised at how ready he was to steal from the old man but found herself a little happy that they were back to their old trouble-making ways. Dipper told Mabel that he was going to take a jog, and Mabel hid away upstairs. Wendy figured that she had plugged herself into her Ipod because she could hear the faint music playing upstairs. It sounded scratchy and strange, though.

Wendy chose not to investigate, as time was of the essence. Ford was out back messing with some invention, and Stan had been wrangled into spending the day with Soos. She slipped down the hall, and with steady hands, she gently opened the door. The room was shrouded in darkness, and apparently the light switch did not work. She flipped it back and forth a few moments, before wondering how Ford got any reading done in here (she assumed he read before bed, he seemed to like this kind of person). She managed to locate a flashlight which Stan had in the case of emergency and tried not to attract any attention by making too much noise. She tiptoed back to the room, and flicked on the torch, only to find that old clothes and opened cans of beans lay scattered about the room. _Yeesh, you'd think for someone so OCD, he'd take better care of his room_.

She moved between the used things and reached the bed. Bending on one knee, she cast the beam of light upon what lay below. A couple of large cases lay there, one painted a dark green, and the other one stainless steel. She clasped the green case and slid it out. Opening it, she peered into it to find that it was filled with specimen test tubes. Unable to find the herbs which Dipper had requested, she prepared to close it back up and open the other one. But something caught her eye. The movement of the specimens, bits of them expanding and receding in something which mimicked breathing, but was not quite the same. The synthetic glow of the flashlight gleamed off of the glass tubes, and illuminated the strange, but small creatures within. They shivered in its harshness, and all resembling a mix between a seahorse and a slug. They all looked roughly the same, and they all appeared to be in their larval stage. With black, bug eyes they stared up at her, and she slammed the case close, perhaps a bit too loud.

The door creaked as she pushed it back under, and her head snapped towards it with a deer-in-the-headlights look. No one was there. Shaking her head, she slid the green case back under, and reached for the other one.

 _"You are such a little pain in the ass…"_

Wendy froze upon hearing those rage filled words, and saw her own terrified expression reflected in the steel case. That voice. She had _heard_ it before. But it wasn't quite that familiar one which scratched against her mind and spoke in her dreams. It was diluted. With Ford Pine's voice. Before she could get to her feet, the owner of the voice had wrapped an iron arm around her neck and placed a chloroform soaked rag against her mouth. Everything went black as she fell backward into her capturer's arms.

 ***0***

Wendy sat in a room full of mirrors.

The room did not resemble the mirror mazes of her youth. Instead, it smiled grimly. She didn't know how a room could smile grimly, but this one did. There were no doors, no exits, and nowhere to hide. Her reflection was everywhere. Stretching across the ceiling, splattered across the wall and clinging to the walls. Every bit of her was revealed by the uncountable glass surfaces. The room twisted in a way which the universe did at its center, always circling back around no matter which way she turned.

She called out, and two voices answered. Dipper and Mabel approached her, each not looking themselves. Mabel was dressed in a costume which resembled Gideon's and wore a smile to compete with this room's level of conceit. Her eyes glowed teal as she approached, and then changed to red, then back to teal. In her hands was a glowing, egg-shaped stone.

Dipper kept up with Mabel's brisk stride by his own shuffling insanity. His skin was paler than she had ever seen, as though he was missing blood. A grin of unorthodox measure stretched across his face, like a horrid mask. She knew it to be a mask because there was no happiness in his eyes. Those eyes glowed yellow as he tugged at the collar of the reverend costume he wore, tears spilling down across her face as she noticed that he was missing most of his teeth. The tears mixed with his sweat and collected around the scar ridges which crisscrossed his neck.

She tried to move away from them. From her wickedness and his broken soul. But the room had no end to it. It was always one spot. She ceased resisting, and both reached out and gripped her hands. Mabel did it with a steel grip while Dipper hung on for dear life. She looked down at him, sensing the sweatiness of his palms as he clung to her hand like a child afraid of drowning without the life raft of their mother.

Mabel raised the spinning stone towards her and spoke in a whisper which sent shivers down her spine. _"Tomorrow?"_

Dipper raised a bloodstained hatchet towards, her a gray one which itched at her memory just like the voice of the man who had knocked her out. Completely black pupils popped into his eyes and opened to form slivers of derangement. He opened his mouth, dry lips cracking and bleeding down his dry throat. His few teeth clawed at his snake like tongue as he spoke.

 _"Y-Yes-Ye-Yesterday…?"_

She looked between the stone and the ax. They both looked eager, both anticipating whatever horrible thing would happen when she chose one of their gifts. The walls shook and cracked as she looked between the two pieces. In the stone, she saw freedom. She would run around and around the earth like Amelia Earhart without borders or rules, or anything but the forever rising sun. Able to run until her worries were so far behind her that they became fond memories. She would be able to swallow the oceans and burn down the forests, she would be able to dance until everyone else had died of exhaustion.

Then she returned her attention to the ax. She didn't see anything when she looked at it. Just an ax. A tool used to do slaughter. Dipper looked ecstatic that she might consider it, and for a moment, his eyes almost looked normal. Then he shuddered and coughed up blood. It landed on the glass floor and slid between the widening cracks. She reached out and took the ax. Mabel exploded into ash, while Dipper laughed with genuine relief, and melted away. He slid between the cracks in the floor like so much of his blood had, and left little bits of himself clinging to her boot.

Wendy looked at the name imprinted upon the ax blade. "GWENDOLYN." Then she flung it forward with all her might and watched the room transform into a million tiny blades, which tore through reality and devoured time.

She awoke with a start. The cold wind struck her face as something glowed bright blue behind her. Her vision was blurry, but she managed to realize that she was in a dark room. The stink of chloroform filled her nose and made her lungs burn. Wendy tried to move her arms but discovered that she was tied to a chair. She struggled, but the metal foldout chair just tipped backward, and she hit her head on the sand. _Wait, where are am I?_

"I'm very much surprised at you. I never really thought…what with all the brute force…that you might attempt to be sneaky. Still…it was inevitable, wouldn't you say?"

A sigh came from the direction of the voice, but from her perspective on the ground, she was unable to see the man responsible. Her mind grew fuzzy and then cleared as she realized that the surface of the ground was coated in sand. She twisted to try and see her captor, but all she saw were the outlines of boots. The man wore a trench coat, which she glimpsed as he circled her. A hand gripped the back of the chair, and pinched her hair, causing a wince, as she was tipped forward.

"You couldn't just play nice with the other kiddies. You had to go all secret agent, didn't you? Bet you thought lover boy would find you _real_ sexy, stealing from his great uncle."

She identified the voice, the pissed off tone reminding her of so many times before. It suddenly occurred to her, how much time the old man had spent locked away in the basement. How much they didn't know about him. How it was incredibly possible that, what with being isolated in an inconceivable dimension, he had gone totally insane.

"FORD!" She snarled his name, buck despite the rope on her legs, and reigniting her efforts to escape.

The old man stepped into the circle of light, clapping his hands slowly. "Bravo. You figured out what would have taken lover boy five seconds."

She rocked back and forth, eventually ceasing and staring at up him. "I can't believe you would do this!"

He chuckled at her expense and bent onto one knee to tighten her binds. "You still haven't figured it out…"

She tried to kick him and failed, causing him to punch her hard in the stomach. As she heaved painfully for breath, he stood. Glaring up, she noticed the control room up above.

"We're in the basement…"

The cold wind, darkness, and blue light behind her all made sense, as she realized that the portal lay right behind her. And it was turned on.

"You're figuring it out…" He gripped the back of her chair and dragged her towards the whirring sound behind her.

"I thought you destroyed it," She said in an empty tone, feeling her heart begin to pump as she considered being thrown into the portal.

"You _still_ don't get it."

He lifted her into the air with abnormal strength and turned her towards him. In the light of the portal, she recognized that his eyes were missing pupils. "So young…so futile...so stupid."

Her eyes widened. "You aren't him."

His face began to morph as he nodded as his skin turned transparent and slimy. _"Now tell me where lover boy went…or I will toss you in, and you will never be heard from again."_

His voice shifted into the deep roar which he had used upon stalking her and Dipper through the tunnels beneath Ford's bunker. That voice, which had reappeared over and over in her dreams, tugging on the corner of her subconscious. His mouth twisted into the hideous maw, with the teeth jutting out and flicking slobber across her face.

The Shapeshifter stood in all his glory, several feet taller than the last time they had encountered. His claw bit into her neck lightly, as slime tricked out of its pink eyes.

 _"WHERE. IS. HE?"_ It shook her to get her attention, and then tossed her backward when she failed to answer.

Her head slammed against the floor of the basement, some of the ropes snapping on impact. The monster scuttled towards her, its four legs scratching against the floor as it approached. Wendy used her free arm to tear at the ropes, her head spinning. Before she could properly recover, it had already picked her up.

 _"I'm beginning to become impatient. You've got five seconds."_

Wendy glared down at him, "Why do you want to know? Disguised as Ford you could kill him at any point."

The creature's maw twisted in an unnatural fashion and opened wide. _"I don't want to KILL him you, idiot. Now tell me where he is."_

Wendy stared down at it, and then at the portal. Its multiple tongues rolled across its three teeth as it anticipated her response. Its breath smelled like burning garbage.

"He…He's at the lake…"

The creature peered at her with its pink eyes and then barked with laughter. _"You think I can't tell when you humans lie?"_

It threw her upwards, and the chair broke apart upon hitting the cavern ceiling. Bits of metal rained down about her as she struck the floor. She tasted iron as the sound of that awful scuttling echoed through the underground room.

 _"You really do have no survival instinct, do you? Down in the tunnels…you could have left. But you wanted to stay, you wanted to conquer THE BEAST. Heh-heh…I had to keep from laughing after you proposed that stupid idea to go camping."_

She looked up, and remembered how good Dipper had been at mimicking voices after carrying her to the front porch, "Wait…you…?"

 _"I've been playing you all like pieces in that stupid game which the six-fingered nerd liked to play with his lab assistant."  
_ "Ughh-chess?"

 _"Shut up."_ It tightened its grip, causing her to kick the air like a dead man swinging.

 _"Now where is he? Where is he REALLY?"_

He loosened his grip, and she continued the lie. "The lake…*gasp* that *gasp* is where he left to go…"

The Shapeshifter rolled its eyes and bit into her leg. She screeched and realized that they were so far underground, that no one would hear her. It throttled her back and forth, before watching her snarl at it.

"I defeated you once you glorified slug…I can do it again…"

It shook with rage, and then, with a disturbing smile, the anger had vanished. Now the creature transformed into a massive golem. Its stone hand now covered her entire torso, while its head scraped against the ceiling.

Its voice came out a deep bellow, which shook the entire room and caused bits of rock to break off of the ceiling and spill across the floor. "ANSWER THE QUESTION! I KNOW YOU ARE AFRAID OF SOMETHING…ALL HUMANS ARE. AND WHATEVER IT IS…I WILL FIND IT. I WILL BECOME IT. AND THEN YOU WILL GIVE IN."

She shook in his grip, unwilling to speak but unable to remain silent with those awful pink eyes upon her. The Shapeshifter stared deep into her eyes, beginning to speak in a monotonic voice as it listed off the creatures which humans were afraid of.

 _"Snakes…bats...wolves…sharks…spiders…"_

She flinched, and he grinned again, more hideously this time. _"Spiders eh? That one's easy…"_

As it began to shift into a gigantic spider, the lights shut off. The Portal whirred down as the power shuddered down, and the Shapeshifter glared upstairs in annoyance.

 _"Sounds like the moron who helped freeze me just caught on…"_ It looked over Wendy and then dropped her.

 _"We'll continue this conversation at a later date."_ It skittered over to the steps leading up the elevator, disappearing from her view as she caught her breath.

Wendy pushed herself to a stand, with head spinning and lungs burning. She gripped the railing as she ascended the staircase, and reached the elevator. It returned, signaling that the Shapeshifter had reached the ground level. She entered, and pressed the "1" button. _I hope you find those crystals before he finds you Dipper._

She heard Mabel scream above, and tensed as she realized that it had not only taken her ax, but also her phone. _This isn't going to be pretty._

* * *

"I enjoy when a story gets dark, but I hate when it gets too dark. I read the prequel to this story months ago and then I told you that it was a great story though the writing could use an improvement. You have improved a lot in writing, and I hope the story does not get too dark because I would love to keep reading it.

I have never read another story where Pacifica and Wendy fight over Dipper, I think it is a great idea, and I don't know why people prefer to write 1000 versions of 'Pacifica is disowned and goes to live with the Pines' instead of something different like this." ~lennoxmacduffes

 ** _The story will get dark. Not much darker than this, but it will inevitably have some nasty moments. Mostly because that is my writing style. I'll try to tone it down for you, but I don't want to damage my vision of how the story plays out._**

"Well, now that I've caught up with your latest story I must say that this is probably your best work that I've read. Everyone is in character and they all have a wonderful chemistry together. I'm very intrigued by Wendy's "dreams" and I'm hoping that the story only gets better. I'm very curious by the probability of an M rating for the later chapters.

Keep up the great work!"~ Returdedphoenixmorph

 ** _Thank you! It's good to know that I am consistently getting better. The dreams are my favorite sections!_**

"I want to say that's Gideon, and I want to for once go whaling for Moby Dick(glare of rage), or whoever it is."~The Keeper of Worlds

 ** _Now you know! Having the bounty hunter be a shapeshifter is kind of a cheat...but...eh!_**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

 **People are telling me not to make it too dark while other people have told me to make it darker. I have decided to make it as dark as I damn well please.**

 **Contains mutilation, adult themes, and acts of violence.**

* * *

"No…No…"

Wendy heard Mabel's voice as she limped into the hall. It came from upstairs. The Shapeshifter had cornered her somewhere up there. She was about to bolt up the stairs when she considered her options. Facing the monster with no weapons would be a suicidal. She recalled that Stan had a closet full of guns. She raced down the back hall and stopped to collect her bearings and allow the pain in her leg to fade. She recovered, and tried to turn the knob, only to find that it was locked. Had the situation not been so dire, she would have considered herself an idiot for thinking that Stan would have left the closet unlocked in an area where children frequently wandered through.

More screams from above caused her to increase her speed and search his office in a desperate frenzy. Finally, she found the keys wedged between a stack of unpaid bills, and liability agreements. Plucking up the keys, she called towards the ceiling as her leg forced her to slow down.

"HEY! SLUG FACE, WHY DON'T YOU FIGHT SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE?"  
Mabel's cries came to halt, and Wendy heard skittering coming from the stairwell. Her hands worked slowly to unlock the door, too slowly for her tastes. She flung the door open and grabbed the first thing which looked dangerous. She didn't know a thing about firing one and suspected that she would sooner hurt herself than the Shapeshifter. Still, it didn't hurt to have insurance.

The moment she turned towards the front of the hall, her feet rooted to the spot. A mass of legs, eyes and fangs was inching its way across the ceiling. As Wendy's eyes grew accustomed to the dark, she found herself holding her breath. The Shapeshifter crawled towards her, now a gigantic spider. Its legs clung to the ceiling, plaster raining down as it approached with the terrifying clatter of limbs. Paralyzing venom dripped from its fangs and splashed against the dirty carpet. Wendy could see each hair bristle across its SUV-sized body. Her breath had disappeared, the gun in her hand forgotten, as well as whatever threat she had been planning to give. She could feel herself shaking, unable to look away from the creature's nine eyes, each black as death. Her stomach twisted, her whole body shuddering as the urge to run, and the urge to not move a muscle began to battle.

She did neither, however.

Aiming the gun she did not understand at the ceiling, she yelled at the monstrosity. "DIE YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"  
It hissed and leaped forward, all eight legs expanding out in an attempt to wrap around her and pin her to the ground. The gun went off, and the beast screeched in pain, as green blood stained the walls. Wendy flew across the hall as a stray leg swiped her and slammed against the floorboards. The gun flew from her hands, going off again as it struck the floor, and fire off. It blew off the lampshade and sent bits of glass and mercury across the wall.

Wendy lay on the floor, utterly motionless as the breath had knocked out of her. The Shapeshifter picked itself up and clutched its bleeding arm as it stared at her. It skittered over to her body and picked it up by the foot. Wendy kept her eyes completely shut, and tried not to scrunch up her face when the creature breathed across her face. It was dark, and the Shapeshifter would have trouble distinguishing her features anyway. It shook her once, roared in her face, and then turned into a creature with night vision. Her chest was not rising and falling as human chest did when they were alive.

It dumped her beside the broken glass before half limping, half crawling out the back door. A trail of blood, like the slime left by a snail, was left in its wake.

 ***0***

Dipper knew that something was wrong from the moment that he saw the police cars. His casual gait turned into a desperate stagger as he dashed towards The Shack. Stan was answering questions while Wendy and Mabel sat on the front porch, both sporting bandages.

"What happened?!"

Wendy looked up at him in surprise and bolted to her feet. She did not answer his question, instead wrapping her arms around him, and refusing to let go. At first, he was shocked by the motion, but then felt her shudder and smelled the saltiness of tears.

"W-Wendy…?"

She did not respond, continuing to hold him like there was no tomorrow. Mabel stood, a weary look in her eyes. He noticed the bandage stretching across her nose and stopped himself from pulling away.

"G-Guys? What happened?"

Wendy's voice sounded so meek and frightened, that it scared Dipper how much it did not belong. "The Shapeshifter…it's been posing as Ford…it tried to kill me and Mabel, and it…it was going to kill you."

Dipper finally broke the embrace and put his hands on the redhead's shoulders as he stared at her wet green eyes. One of those eyes had been blackened and just staring at it caused more rage to grow inside him than the knowledge that he had been played for a fool. He reached out, running a hand along her face and watching her wince. She could see the anger in his eyes and took his hand.

"It's okay…we're fine."

 _Fine? How could she say that?_ Her face was covered in cuts and gashes, and with the hand which did not hold his, she clutched the dark red spot on the bandage which covered her left side. He looked at his sister, at the vacancy in her stare.

"Where is Ford?"

Wendy wiped some blood from beneath her nose and spoke with uncertainty. "I think he's frozen down in the bunker. He investigated it and freed The Shapeshifter after he thought that it was you…trapped in the ice."

Dipper nodded, "Good. Then he isn't in danger. I assume that The Shapeshifter want revenge?"

Wendy gave a shrug, but Mabel stood and shook her head. "He kept saying that he _needed_ you for something…that if I told him where you were, that he wouldn't harm you…because he need you to "complete it."

Understanding flooded Dipper's features, and Mabel stepped forward. "What was it that you were building out in the woods with what you thought was Ford? The thing that you were keeping a secret from all of us?"

He stepped back, put on the defensive by her poking finger and harsh tone. "Mabel, I-"

"Answer the question."

Wendy glanced between them, and he sensed that she too had a vague understanding that he had been hiding something. Dipper, unable to make eye contact with either of them, moved his attention to the ground.

"I-I was working on a device…to let me see the...um…to let me and Ford…converse with an extremely powerful entity. We almost finished it before he…I mean, before the camping trip."

"You built a machine so that you could see a god?" Wendy's eyes were wide with horror at the implications, and Dipper looked away again with a solemn nod.

"And what were you doing out in the woods just _now_?"  
Wendy tried to interrupt, "Mabel, I don't think-"

Mabel turned her finger upon the older teen and snarled her response. "SHUT UP! This happened because of you, SO, SHUT, UP!"

The demand caused Dipper to raise his field of vision and watch the broken look cross Wendy's face while vengeful spite twisted Mabel damaged face. The memory of Wendy and Pacifica shouting at Mabel and telling her to "shut up" replayed over and over again inside of Dipper's mind. His twin turned towards him with fire in her eyes and looked ready to strike if she did not receive an adequate response.

"Now, tell me what was worth abandoning us for?"

He reached out, "Mabel, you need to calm dow-"

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

She swatted aside his hand, and he tried not to look too hurt. "I-I was getting some crystals to…scare Pacifica's parents."

Wendy watched with disturbed fascination and almost, was that _terror_ on her face? Dipper had known that a lot of things which seemed impossible were not. But he had never expected Mabel to instill fear in people, let alone _terror._

But here she was, her face inches from his downcast gaze, a deep resentment poisoning her every word. "I could have DIED Dipper. Wendy could have DIED. you could have DIED because you were too immature to listen to me!"

"I just-"

Her voice turned into a squeaky mockery of his own. "What was it you said to me? 'Oh no Mabel, Ford always acts this way. He's just kind of socially awkward, stop asking questions about it _MABEL._ I would _know if something was UP Mabel._ ' YOU IDIOT."

Dipper shifted back and forth upon both feet, not responding in least as Mabel informed him that she didn't want to see him anymore. She stomped inside, Wendy silently peering at him the entire time. She was waiting for a reaction. For him to get really angry, or cry, or do _something_ besides stand here like an idiot.

But he didn't know what to do.

He sat down in the dirt, the crystals which he had retrieved now feeling heavy in his pocket. He removed his cap, letting it fall to the ground and paying it no heed when the wind blew it away.

"I don't…Wendy…I screwed up so badly…I don't…"

His breath began to quicken but slowed down when she sat down beside him and draped an arm across his shoulders. "Dipper…we defeated this thing once, we can do it again. Just tell me what you need me-"

"No."

"Wh-what?"

He gulped, "Your hurt…I can't endanger you anymore in what is my fault."

"Dipper, I'm not going to let you do this on your own." She reached over and took his hand in her own. "I've been hurt worse…this thing is too big for you to take on yourself. I-I'm not scared of it Dipper. I'm scared of what it can do to you. But when you and I work together…we're invincible. The only reason the slug-faced jerk beat me was because you weren't here…If you had…Dipper you would have kicked its ass!"

She chuckled while he kept his vision upon the ground. "When you and me come together…Dipper…we defeated a swarm of monster-truck riding convicts, a secret society, and a _shapeshifter_ who could become _anything_. If we can't defeat it then nothing can…and that's not an option."

"Corduroy's right Dipper." They both looked up to see Stan giving them a determined glare.

"I know that my brother would rise to the challenge…and so can you. Tell me what you want me to do."

Dipper looked between them and brushed his eyes.

He stood and smiled. "Alright…I'm ready."

 ***0***

Wendy felt her boots crush glass as she entered the Northwest front hall. With the great doors broken down (along with the fence and security system), the entrance had been easy. Dipper ran up ahead, inspecting the broken furniture with a face buried in concern. The Shapeshifter had apparently decided to go through everyone employed by the Northwests. Cooks, gardeners, maids, and butlers lay all over the place. They all were unconscious but some bled profusely as well. Preston and his wife were nowhere to be seen, and when they called out for Pacifica, she did not respond. Wendy called an ambulance as she stared at the bodyguard which had kicked Dipper down. Wendy stared at the burn marks in the ceiling as she neared him, almost tripping on an overturned chair. She stopped when she spotted a hand sticking out from the top of the staircase.

"Uh…Dipper." She tapped him on the shoulder and he looked up from the bloodstained carpet.

He spotted the hand before further words left her mouth, and bolted towards it. Wendy removed her ax and sprinted after him.

"Dipper, wait!"

He stopped in his tracks and glanced back with a pained expression. "Remember…he can look like anything."

Dipper's eyes widened and he glanced back at the hand. Taking a deep gulp of air, he nodded slowly and approached the body. Wendy followed and found him trying to remove the massive wardrobe which had fallen on top of them. She put her fingers under the edge and on the count of three they both lifted. Grunting, the teens forced the fallen furniture onto its side and stared at the woman in horror.

It was Priscilla Northwest. But it was neither her unconscious form nor the slew of cuts upon her exposed arms which caused them to stare at her in this way. It was the words which had been carved across her stomach, the dress torn back to reveal the message.

DEUS MACHINA WOULDN'T BE THE SAME WITHOUT BLONDIE.

Wendy was about to call to the orderlies who had left the ambulance. But before she was able to, Dipper reached out and grabbed her pant leg.

"She hasn't got no pulse, Wendy," He spoke in a voice so empty that it was almost as horrible as the cadaver.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked down at him.

The look on his face as he held the heiresses cold, dead hand, caused Wendy to freeze up. She just stared at him for a long moment, until he finally stood. Turning away, she stared at the torn portrait mounted to the wall. Pacifica's face had been slashed off. But she needed something to distract herself from the twisted look on the corpse's face. This psychopathic creature had just mutilated a human being (horrible person or no), just to send a message. She had probably been alive as they did it too. The idea of that THING, breaking in here and dragging Pacifica out with it, kicking and screaming, made her stomach churn. Everything about this felt horrible and wrong.

How could she have let this happen? How could she collapse back at the shack, instead of finishing the monster off? This wouldn't have happened, had she been faster, stronger, and not so goddamn weak.

"Wendy…It…It's…It's got Pacifica."

She nodded without looking his way.

"And it's going to…it's going start up the machine."

Again she nodded. He ran towards her, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look at him. "I called Stan…he didn't pick up. Just s-static. Wendy…if it can do this to all these people…I don't think Stan will be able to hold him off."

He moved towards her, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look at him. "I called Stan…he didn't pick up. Just s-static. Wendy…if it can do this…I don't think Stan will be able to hold him off."

She hooked her ax to her belt. "No. That's why we need to get over there."

His face was pale. "Wendy…I don't think that we-we c-can beat it…"

She removed the hunting rifle and forced it into his hands. "Yes, we can."

He looked at the gun and then nodded. Dipper had trouble keeping it together while the police asked questions. She could see that every second which ticked by without them saving Pacifica gnawed at his conscious. The mental images of what the creature which had less respect for human life than most warmongers might do to the thirteen-year-old girl plagued her mind almost as much as his. She reached out and squeezed his hand. He glanced at her and gave the smallest smile possible. Turning back towards the police woman, he spoke clearly and requested to leave.

"I need to call my parents so that they know I'm okay."

The woman nodded and they both bolted out the door. They didn't bother to look back until they had reached Stan's El Diablo or even buckle themselves. As Wendy pulled away from the mansion and its gruesome contents, he insisted that they make a stop before facing the beast.

 ***0***

Wendy hit the breaks in time to prevent from colliding with the small metallic tower. Dipper tossed her one of the ray guns which they had collected from his stash of discovered technology and opened the passenger side door. She had asked why they couldn't just use the size altering crystals to step on the giant slug, and Dipper had explained that it would have been able to copy their size if one or both of them used the crystals.

"Same thing if we shrunk it. It would change its size back to normal because it can see us at regular size."

Before he could exit the car, however, she reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Dipper…just so you know…last time it transformed into something which it knew would petrify me…it must have researched lots of new types of monsters in the time that it's been posing as Ford. I just…did you tell Ford what you were most afraid of?"

Dipper stared at her for a longer moment than the answer to have been a simple "no." But he shook his head anyway and slipped out of the car. He ran towards the metal spire, and she followed at a slower pace. Her attention was kept on the trees surrounding them. They were way off the trail, if she called for help, the chances of being heard were quite low. Every rustle, every twig snap, and every sound which did not come from her and Dipper put her on edge. The Shapeshifter would not wait for them to recognize it to attack.

It wasn't dramatic like Bill, it was crafty. Sort of like Ford, the guy who had practically raised it. Feeling static fill the air as she neared the machine, Wendy wondered just how long it had impersonated him. Had he really been anti-social enough that none of them realized a difference in mood or way of speaking? But maybe The Shapeshifter actually knew Ford better than all of them.

"Wendy! I found Stan!"

Her train of thought derailed, she bolted over towards them and held her gun at the ready. The movement of a squirrel attracted her attention, and she took a sideways glance at the defeated old man. He seemed to be trying to say something but shook every few seconds. The electrical buzz of the machine almost blocked out his words, and Dipper had to ask his great uncle to repeat himself.

"The…the Shapeshifter…It's up there…" He pointed towards the top of the machine, where a ladder led up to a small operating platform.

Dipper nodded, throwing the gun over his shoulder as he made for the ladder. Wendy followed him more carefully, the whir of the machine beginning to grate against her anxious nerves. Stan stood as Dipper began to climb the ladder, and called out.

"WAIT! I forgot…"

They both looked towards him, Wendy's stomach beginning to churn as she saw the slivered pupils.

"…it's right _here._ _Wasn't even a challenge to tie up the old man, he trusted 'Dipper' the moment he saw him._ "

His hands grew into his caws, hair replaced with spikes. Leather wings tore out of his arms as his head grew sharp and tall. His face elongated, jaw filled with razor sharp teeth. Now a pterodactyl, the Shapeshifter loomed over them. Eyes burning orange, he screeched a bloodcurdling cry and charged towards them.

Before Wendy could even fire, it had knocked her to the ground. The laser gun broke beneath one idle bat. Dipper tried to hit the creature, but it had adapted to people shooting at it by this time. Its tail swatted him into the metal ladder. Wendy heard him cry out and scrambled to her feet. The pterodactyl had flown to the top of the tower. It threw Dipper against the metal platform beside the knotted Pacifica. Quickly the beast transformed into Wendy herself and began tying him as the real McCoy began to ascend the ladders.

 _"Congratulations Dippingsauce, you're going to get to watch as I kill BOTH of your girlfriends. Then once I'm a god…I'm sure I can think of a creative way to kill you…"_

A tear came to his eyes as it punched him to stop his struggling. "Please…Pacifica didn't do anything to you! Let her go, you baited me here, now leave her out of this!"

It shook its head. _"No can do Dippingsauce."_

It leaned forward and whispered in his ear, its words vengeful but its tone sickly sweet. _"You trapped me down there…after years, I thought I would be free…but you stopped that dream in its tracks, didn't you? You're just like six fingers, just when I was ready to see the surface again, to use my full potential, what did he say? That I was too_ unstable _, as though I was just_ _one of his stupid machines._ _Now you'll pay with everyone and everything you hold dear."_

Watching his look of horror in satisfaction, the faux-Wendy turned towards the ladder and the real one. _"You stabbed me in the side with an ax…then you blew a hole in my chest…if I wasn't so regenerative, I'd be dead right now…"_

It grabbed Dipper's rifle, aiming the laser at Wendy. Lasers flashed towards the climbing redhead, who ducked and evaded as best as she could during the barrage. The Shapeshifter continued rattling off until she was almost to the stop of the ladder. Then it pointed the laser directly at the ladder.

 _"One shot left…have a fun time on the way down Wen!"_ It waved with a cartoonish grin stretching across its stolen face and blasted the metal which held the ladder to the machine.

Wendy felt her grip on the ladder become fruitless as the ladder tipped backward. Dipper called out, his captor laughing hysterically as she toppled twenty feet towards solid ground.

* * *

 _"I am Raw, a dinosaur,_

 _But I will never be extinct_

 _So don't mess with me…_

 _I'll shoot you down…_

 _So don't mess WITH ME…"_ – TempoShark, "Don't mess with me"

 ** _Sorry, this took so long. I'm beginning to get into new fandoms_** ** _, so I've been experimenting with new stories._**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

* * *

Wendy leaped from the ladder. Her arms gripped a nearby pine as the ladder smacked against the ground. Her ax began to slide out of its holster, and with her arms gripped the branch she could do little more than stare at its progress. The Shapeshifter cursed in some inconceivable language and pressed a couple levers. It apparently understood Ford's machinery more than most of them, because the result of this action was that the machine began to work at twice the speed.

The great steel orb which revolved in the center of the contraption suddenly doubled in speed. Green sparks flew out of the orb and struck the dry nettles which covered the floor. Wendy stared in horror as a flash-fire began beneath her feet, snaking through the forest floor. The charging of the machine created a burst of anti-gravity, and burning clumps of leaves were raised into the air as she gripped the branch. The untrapped Dipper floated into the air as The Shapeshifter, now wearing its true form, clung to the platform with sticky legs. Its pink eyes turned her way, and it smiles when the anti-gravity dissipated and she collided with the branch.

Losing her breath, she panted and felt the branch begin to crack beneath her. More sparks flashed out, starting more fire. Static buzzed through the air, causing it to become drier and thinner. Wendy kneeled and glared across at the machine's inhuman operator. It's slimy features were highlighted by the orange and green light which hissed out of the machine. Reaching down, she grabbed her ax and flung it towards the machine. It smashed into the control panel and electrocuted the beast. It lurched with agony, and Wendy smiled. She began moving back and forth, gaining momentum with every swing.

The flames crackled beneath.

 ***0***

The Shapeshifter growled at the broken control panel and tore out the ax. It was about to launch it back at its owner when Pacifica jumped on top of it. She stabbed her elbow into its neck, and it reeled, nearly falling off of the platform. Instead, it twisted on its heel and slammed the human against the steel wall. She gave out a horrible moan and slid to the floor of the platformer.

Transforming into her father, The Shapeshifter lifted its woozy victim into the air. _"How did you escape?"_

She blinked multiple times and recovered slightly. "Escape artist classes…took them after the golf gremlins…"

Blood trickled down her forehead, "Also…you don't know how to tie a knot properly."

Dipper slammed a wrench into The Shapeshifter's stomach, and it let go of Pacifica. She fell to the floor of the platform and Dipper grabbed Pacifica's hand and tugged her to the right side of the machine. The Shapeshifter roared, transforming into an immense octopus. It wrapped around the antenna. Its arms neared the teenagers, pinning them back on the opposite side of the platform. The hooks on each arm swiveled towards them, each black and razor sharp.

Dipper swatted at one, but a different one wrapped around his leg and raised him into the air.

"DIPPER!" Pacifica grabbed the fallen wrench and struck the tentacle.

It flinched, but its muscles contracted, Dipper screaming as the survived hooks dug into Dipper's skin. Two other tentacles grabbed her arms and lifted her into the air. The investigative teen fell unconscious as The Shapeshifter slammed him against the metal floor of the platform.

Horror crossed Pacifica's face as she kicked at the air. "Dipper! Leave him alone you piece of shit!"

The Shapeshifter rolled its saucer sized eyes towards her and lifted its massive beak towards the sky. It opened, the beast shrieking in a manner worse than it had as a pterodactyl. Pacifica's face wrinkled at the awful stench emitted by the gaping maw. Wriggling back and forth the creature black as night lowered her towards its beak, ready to snap her body in two.

Wendy slammed onto the platform, her boot connecting with its head. The creature shrieked again, Pacifica reeling in pain as the awful sound was the only thing which kept her from falling unconscious. Wendy scraped up her ax, swinging it towards the multi-armed beast. A black tentacle swept under her legs and caused her to strike the platform. Her ax spun out of her hands and slid off of the platform.

The Shapeshifter was unable to smile in its current form but still looked smug as it grabbed Wendy's leg and yanked her toward it. It constricted her stomach, causing her breathing to become difficult. The machine rumbled as another bout of anti-gravity filled the surrounding area. The laser rifle which had lain abandoned upon the platform floated towards the top of the antenna. Wendy kicked at it, hoping to press the trigger as it pointed towards the bulbous head of the gigantic octopus.

A stray tentacle smacked the rifle and sent it flying through the air and over the edge of the platform. Wendy watched with a pained expression as the antigravity wore off and the gun pivoted towards the flames below. The shapeshifter opened its massive beak and moved Pacifica back so that she would have to watch.

Just as Wendy tensed for the splintering of her bones, she heard something cut through the air. Her eyes opened and a metal hook tore through the tentacle which gripped her body. It tore off of the Shapeshifter's body, eliciting a third shriek as blue blood stained the platform and dripped through the slits in the metal. Wendy climbed out of the dead limb, watching as the metal hook and the rope connected, wrapped around the antenna. Mabel streaked through the air, landing beside her, and tugging her grappling hook free.

She fired again, killing the tentacle which held Dipper. She watched as Wendy ran over to catch him and pointed her deadly weapon towards the massive cephalopod. A determined look crossed her face and she gave Pacifica a shaky thumbs up.

The Shapeshifter took it as an opportunity to move closer but Mabel stepped back and pointed at its face. "If you want to hurt my brother…or any of his friends, you have to get through me. Now, put. Her. DOWN."

The beast shrieked again, causing Mabel to wince, but hold steadfast. "NOW."

With great bitterness, the creature dropped Pacifica's half-conscious form onto the platform, which now shook as the machine began to rattle. It had not been designed to withstand this much weight, and now began creaked with the shaking of the entire structure. Mabel inched towards Pacifica, keeping the make-shift harpoon aimed at the creature's massive eyes. The octopus, however, transformed into a griffin. It swept a wing her way, the rush of air sending her toppling backward. Her grappling hook span off, smacking against the antenna and sliding towards the edge of the platform. Mabel struck the safeguard and felt the entire platform grow more unstable with her collision.

Sparks rained her way, and she cried out as she saw Dipper open her eyes. "DIPPER! HELP! I'M GOING TO-" Another nail broke loose and the platform tipped towards the fire below.

Dipper scrambled towards her but stopped when The Shapeshifter grabbed Pacifica with a golden talon. _"You are going to WATCH as she falls down, down, down, and goes SPLAT."_

Its beak formed a sick imitation of a smile and its wings beat rapidly, fanning the fire. Smoke rose from the machine, trees crashing to the forest floor as the griffin charged into the gray sky. Dipper watched in horror, Pacifica's screams causing him to remain rooted to the spot.

Wendy grabbed the grappling hook before it fell off the edge and turning to the newly conscious Dipper. "Dipper…give me your Rocket-Orb, I'll save Pacifica while you get Mabel back up!"

He glanced at her, still adjusting the rapid change of goals. Slowly, a thousand times slower than his brain was screaming at him to move, he removed the orb from his pocket. In his addled mind, he had forgotten that they had even salvaged it from his stash. Wendy tore it from his hands and mashed the small red button in the center.

Dipper leaped away, knowing from experimentation that such orbs created a plume of fire once activated. He ran over to the edge, kneeling to grab his sister's reaching hand as Wendy shot up towards the stormy skies. Once she was safe, she clutched her chest, groaning as the ribs which she had bruised against the metal bars ached.

"Dipper…I'm sorry for acting like such a…stupid person. I was afraid that you were…growing out of me…that you didn't need me."

He tried to speak, but she stopped him, continuing her apology regardless of what his next words would have been. "I made this about me when umm, it wasn't. I should have helped you guys instead of throwing a tantrum…" She looked him up and down, "If I had…maybe you wouldn't be so hurt right now…"

He laughed at her choice of words, "Mabel, I would be this banged up no matter what. And I'm sorry that I lied to you, and that I…went ahead and did something stupid…when I should have taken the time to calm down."  
Mabel glanced up at the battle which was taking place above them. "So…do you want to have an awkward sibling hug?"

He glanced at the flying forms above. "While we can't do anything other than sit here and wait…I guess."

The moment that the words had left his mouth, she had wrapped her arms around him. Surprised, he reached around and soothed her back. He could feel her trembling. How long had it been since they had enjoyed one of their heart to hearts? How long had it been since they spent some quality time together? He had chatted with Pacifica and Wendy so often, the two of them hadn't really talked much, aside from at meals. Since they had entered Middle School, they had been divided by different class schedules, and she had gotten so many new friends. He had assumed that if she had any problems, she would discuss it with her new friends.

He felt like the biggest jerk in existence, and somehow or other, she sensed this.

"It's okay Dipper…we both messed up."

As she gave this strangely comforting sentiment, a helicopter roared above them. A rope ladder fell towards them, and the twins spoke in unison when they saw who had lowered it.

"GRUNKLE STAN?!"

He yelled something to the effect of "I'LL EXPLAIN LATER!" before gesturing for them to climb up. With the machine close to exploding, and the platform ready to fall right off, neither Mabel nor Dipper saw much point in not doing as their great uncle requested.

 ***0***

Wendy tore after the griffin, barely clinging to the Rocket-Orb. It swerved towards her and glared with unnerving eyes. Wendy steading herself and tried to cast a hopeful look towards Pacifica. The Shapeshifter slashed forward, and Wendy whizzed to the side, pulling out Mabel's grappling hook and aiming it at the griffin. A horrible screech tore through the air, and the beast circled back around, its second set of talons ready to tear into her. She fired, forcing The Shapeshifter to duck to the side. The grappling hook arched, tearing through the smoke-filled air as the griffin-form disappeared beneath her.

Wendy struggled to retract the rope back into place while still clutching the Rocket-orb. Pacifica called out, giving Wendy the time to turn around before a talon hissed across the front of her face. It drew blood from her forehead, Pacifica reaching out, trying to grab her before she lost control of the Rocket-Orb. She fell through the air, the grappling hook still retracting into place as air rushed past her. Hair billowing around her head, Wendy raised the grappling gun towards the sky.

The Shapeshifter glared down at her, in time to feel a metal hook wrap around one of its talons and dig into the exposed skin. It shrieked in pain, dipping and diving in an attempt to slam Wendy into a tree or cause her to lose her grip. The redhead, however, had already begun to climb the cord.

"IF YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN MESS WITH MY FRIENDS AND GET AWAY WITH IT THAN YOU ARE WRONG!"

The Shapeshifter's only response was an ear piercing screech. Wendy's fingers ached, but she climbed harder than ever and found that the griffin was ascending faster than ever. The air was getting thinner and colder. The world swam about her as Wendy found it hard to even recognize the fire below. Everything turned blue as the ground ceased to be within her vision. The wind became incredibly strong, whipping her back and forth like a pendulum.

She could see Pacifica fighting against the talons which held her, but becoming more and more exhausted as breathing became more difficult. Wendy forced herself to climb further, watching as The Shapeshifter pulled her through a cloud. The vapor left her clothes damp and cold, and her teeth chattered as she climbed found herself several feet away from The Shapeshifter. Her fingers were completely numb, and she felt something hot trickling in between them. Realizing that her knuckles were bleeding, Wendy grunted and grabbed onto the talon which the grappling hook was wrapped around.

She pulled herself up, just in time to feel The Shapeshifter dive. Air rushed into her eyes, extorting water to dribble up her face as the world stretched out beneath her. The trees became great green spears and she could hear screaming. Maybe it was Pacifica's, maybe it was her own. She spotted the rocket orb whizzing about below and reached out. The shiny gray orb slammed into her hand, dislocating her shoulder. Groaning, she tossed it into The Shapeshifter's head.

"HEAD DOWN PAZ!"  
The spherical device exploded in bits of fire, metal shrapnel flying through the air and tearing into the Shapeshifter's wings. Slowly, the griffin transformed into the Shapeshifter's regular form, the creature now knocked out. Wendy tumbled through the air, trying to give a sheepish smile when Pacifica glared at her.

"IT WAS THE BEST THING I COULD THINK TO DO!" She screamed over the wind.

Pacifica turned away, her hands clasped together as she prayed that she would survive the fall. Wendy looked at the quickly approaching ground and knew that even if one of them did, the flames would be inescapable. Her stomach twisted as her arms turned windmill and she somersaulted through the air. Just as she closed her eyes in preparation, a net was thrown around both of them.

It pulled tautly and yanked them towards a helicopter. Wendy looked to Pacifica for an explanation, but the girl was catching her breath and wiping her eyes. Staring up, Wendy saw Stan and Dipper pulling the rope upward. They grunted and finally managed to get the net and the rope it was attached to, at arm's length. Mabel helped pull the net on board and the two clambered out.

Pacifica glanced around and turned towards Stan. "Why are we in my dad's helicopter?"

Stan smirked, "I woke up next to Mr. Pompous, tied up. Of course, I escaped easily, but I was going to leave him there and come back once the fight was over. Then he mentioned that he could fly a helicopter, and after I untied him, he called one."

Preston looked back from the co-pilot seat, a bandage wrapped around his head. "I uh, apologize for hiring that creature to kill your friend with the birthmark."

"YOU WHAT-"

Before Preston could further apologize, the helicopter pilot turned to him. "SIR! The radar says that something is coming our way at supersonic speeds."

His brow furrowed, and he said something to the pilot which no one would remember. Because the moment after he said it, a dragon slammed into the helicopter. Preston and the pilot were jerked back and forth, both falling unconscious. Mabel groaned as she struck the wall of the helicopter, rolling to the side as the wall became a tilted floor. The Shapeshifter dug its talons dug in. Its mouth opened wide and burning with fire.

Stan grabbed his rifle, but the beast had already knocked him limp with one swat of its scaly claw. Acid dripped from its mouth, splattering across the floor of the machine and rolling towards the group, now pinned against the wall by gravity.

 _"FOOLISH PINES. YOU THINK THAT IT IS EASY TO DEFEAT ME?! I WILL HUNT YOU AND YOU'RE FAMILY TO THE VERY ENDS OF THIS WORLD."_

Dipper stared at its burning maw and stepped forward. "Take me now."

Pacifica shook her head, grabbing his arm and trying to prevent him from moving closer. He pulled free, without even looking her way. "Take me and leave them alone."

The Shapeshifter turned its huge head, snapping its jaws lightly. _"WHY NOT KILL YOU ALL RIGHT NOW?!"_

Dipper smiled, "Because…if you take me away, you'll make them suffer more than just incinerating us all right now. As a god, you can make us suffer by living."

The Shapeshifter licked its lips, and Wendy wished that she could do something to intervene. There were tears coming to her eyes, but her legs ached almost as much as her useless hands. Mabel was begging with Dipper, pleading with her eyes for him not to do this. He ignored her, eyes kept on the dragon. Out of the corner of her eye, Wendy spotted Stan slowly but steadily gripping a bullet and loading the rifle.

The Shapeshifter looked at Wendy and smiled. _It knew how much it would hurt to see Dipper die._ Wendy wiped her eyes and hoped that Dipper had one last trick up his sleeve.

Reaching out, The Shapeshifter grabbed Dipper with a scaly claw. Mabel ran over, protesting and screaming for mercy, but Dipper just gave her a small smile.

"It's okay Mabes…I'm going to be fine." From the way his voice cracked, it didn't sound like he believed it any more than any of them did.

Then Stan leaped to his feet and shot the creature in one of its great reptilian eyes. The dragon roared, letting go of the damaged helicopter and letting it fall towards the ground. As they spiraled towards the ground, Wendy watched as Dipper pulled out something small and shiny. She shook her head, uncaring for the screams of her friends, uncaring for their rapid descent.

All she cared about at that moment was that Dipper was not holding what she thought he was.

As it turned out, he was not. When he pressed the button, the silver disk did not explode as expected. Instead, it opened up, with streaks of energy extending all about and tearing through the fabric of the universe. They wrapped around the draconic form and pulling it into the Pandora's Box which Dipper had used to trap Bill. The portal to a pocket dimension snapped close and she could see Dipper sigh in relief. The monster had been defeated, the dragon had been slain.

Then Dipper Pines plunged towards the raging fire and overloading machine below.

* * *

 **Sorry about the short chapter, this one had so much packed into it that I had to end off right there.**

 _"Wow, and the dangers out, horrors revealed, and the final rounds begin! Can't wait for more:)" – Keeper of Worlds_

 ** _Thanks! Hopefully, this didn't feel absurd or drawn out._**

 _"Well..._

 _That was interesting._

 _Such a sassy introduction._

 _Dipper and Mabel's bond is really being stretched to the breaking point this time._

 _The descriptions of the Shapeshifter are fantastic. Very detailed and grotesque._

 _I guess that the only problem I have with this chapter (And story overall) is that the authorities don't seem to care much about the violent and murderous events taking place in the town (But when have they ever?)_

 _Another cliff hanger ending? I can only stand the hype so much..._

 _Keep up the great work!" – Returdedphoenixmorph_

 ** _Sass is the only way sometimes. ;)_**

 ** _Well, hopefully, I was correct to repair said bond in this chapter. I didn't feel like dragging it out would do the story any good, and it would be cruel of Mabel to abandon her brother and friends to face one of the most dangerous things they've ever met._**

 ** _The authorities are confused as hell as to what is going on, and remember; The Shapeshifter only killed Priscilla (albeit in an extremely disturbing fashion)._**

 ** _Three cliffhangers in a row…gotta keep it up since the next chapter is gonna be slow and (for the most part) serene. We gotta get all the action out before everyone reveals their feelings and our love triangle ceases to be a triangle._**

 ** _Can do!_**

 _**Sneak peek at the next chapter** : ^You'll never make him as happy as I can.^ _


	7. The End

**CHAPTER 7**

 ** _WARNING: Contains Mature language and horrific imagery._**

 **I suggest you listen to the following songs while reading this = Redo (Modern Baseball), Iron Lung (Radiohead), People II 2: Still Peoplin' (Andrew Jackson Jihad). Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead) is another one which fits.**

 _Ferality, Chapter 6. ~ "Extremely interesting story. This title is actually the one that drew me into reading your stories. I've held off read it until I had finished most of your other GF stories. Considering I'm both a Wendip and a Dipifica fan it has been fun reading them fight over Dipper. I can't wait for the next chapter."_

 ** _I hope that this was satisfying._**

 _Returdedphoenixmorph, Chapter 6. ~ "_ _Deus ex machina Stan! *Ding* (That was an obscure internet reference.)_

 _Another great chapter!_

 _The fantastic and creative action sequence with the Shapeshifter was gripping and climactic!_

 _I see what you mean about not wanting to stretch out the conflict between Dipper and Mabel, but I do feel like it should have been resolved in the next chapter so it could really be explored and put into detail._

 _I can't handle the damn cliff hangers!_

 _What will happen next?!_

 _Weirdness? Friend zoning? Romance? Upset and bloodthirsty shippers? A cameo from our favorite sadistic Dorito?_

 _I guess I'll have to wait again. It's back to the cryo-stasis freezing chambers for me._

 _Keep up the great work!"_

 ** _TWO cameos!_**

 _Keeper of Worlds. **Thanks so much for your support!**_

 _Some Randy ~ "I just wish Ford was in this chapter. Ford has to be the best GF character IMO."_

 _ **Yeah, he's pretty cool.**_

* * *

Wendy leaped out of the helicopter, followed promptly by Stan (carrying Preston), Mabel, and Pacifica (was dragging the pilot).

She dashed between the trees, feet kicking up dry leaves as her eyes locked on Dipper's descent. His arms failed as he neared the ground fell and she prayed that something would break his fall. Wendy didn't remember the last time her legs had moved this fast, and she barely heard the calls of her friends. They didn't matter at the moment. Neither did the fire, or the statistical impossibility of her reaching him in time.

All that mattered was making sure that all of this hadn't been for naught. That Dipper was not going to die. Despite her nervous mind, the idea of life without him had not occurred to her until he had given himself up to The Shapeshifter. Those few seconds in which she had thought him dead were pure torture. _Could she go a whole lifetime feeling like that?_ Wendy doubted it and somehow managed to move even faster than she had been before.

Wendy could see Dipper, just twelve feet away. His shadow widened as he fell towards the ground. Had he been just a year younger, he would have cried out. But instead, he was just staring at the ever widening sky as though he had known this was an eventuality. He would have looked peaceful had he not been plummeting at such an advanced speed.

Wendy knew that she would never make it in time. He was falling fast and there was flaming rubble between the two of them. Her legs ached and her lungs burned. She felt ready to vomit her own heart. Just before Dipper slammed into the ground, a wave of anti-gravity filled the area.

Just before Dipper slammed into the ground, the machine buzzed one last time and sent a wave of anti-gravity rolling across the area.

Wendy let out a relieved sigh, even though the reversed gravity forced her stomach to lurch. She was watching with tears in her eyes as Dipper was lifted above the ground. The tears of relief floated into the air, and Wendy called out, swimming between the burning chunks of wood as she approached. Heat surrounded her and her breath pattern was a staggering mix. He turned towards her, a smile on his face. She could see his own tears of joy at not becoming a Dipper-pancake, reached out towards him.

Wendy hit the ground with a small noise, but Dipper received the worst of it. He collided with some burning mulch and slapped his pant leg frantically. As Wendy dashed over to him, she noticed that his tee shirt was coated in blood. The Shapeshifter had dug its hooks into him as a Lusca. Gulping, she bent to one knee and used her hat to smother the small fire on his pant leg. She wrapped one arm around him and encouraged movement after pulling him into a standing position.

He made pained noises, and Wendy told him not to speak as they together limped through the fiery outcropping. Breathing became difficult with the smoke filled the air, and Wendy had to focus hard to keep her eyes from blurring. A wave of heat rolled across their backs, as the machine lit on fire and began falling apart at the seams.

Wendy looked up at Stan and coughed. "Get the car ready…we need to go to the hospital."

The old man looked anxious, but nodded, and ran over to his thankfully undamaged, El Diablo. Pacifica saw Dipper and rushed towards them to help. The injured investigator raised a hand however and shook his head with a sad expression. Pacifica looked ready to run through the fire, but her determination disappeared when he gave her the signal to stay where she stood.

Turning away, the blonde helped Mabel carry Preston, glancing back over as Wendy helped Dipper over a collapsed tree. The heat was beginning to grow intolerable, and she wondered just how much more of this she could take. It became clear that he would not be able to move over the log without hurting himself. So Wendy reached out, and tenderly placed her hands beneath his armpits. Slowly, she raised the smaller teen into the air. He coughed and stared down at her like she was the greatest thing ever created.

Blushing, Wendy set him back on the ground and realized that he had a massive cut on his forehead. It tore across his birthmark. Blood had already dried against his hair. Sighing, Wendy took his hand and kicked some wreckage over. A hand extended from the top of the dip in the ground, and Wendy looked up to see Pacifica. Grabbing her hand, Wendy pulled the faltering Dipper forward. Pacifica let go of Wendy's and grabbed Dipper's, pulling him up with steady reassurances.

Wendy was about to grab and an exposed root and hoist herself up (despite her dislocated shoulder) when a voice pierced her concentration. "Need any help?"

Wendy looked up to find Mabel smiling down, almost nervous. "Sure."

Gripping the brunette's hand, Wendy climbed the embankment and sat down the moment she was out of reach of the flames. She breathed in the yet unpolluted air and found Mabel staring at the flames. Clearing her throat, Wendy sat up.

"You okay?"

Mabel shook her head. "That could have been us, Wendy…that could have been Dipper… _burning to death_."

Wendy forced herself to stand. "Mabel-"

"This is why I was happy to be back in Piedmont."

Wendy's eyes widened and Mabel continued without even attempting to apologize. "He hasn't been the same since fighting Bill. He's been miserable. All he wanted was to come back here…to get himself in even more danger."

Her voice cracked as Wendy realized that Dipper knew nothing about Mabel's true feelings regarding the town and valley surrounding. Wendy considered disagreeing with Mabel or comforting her. The admission stung no matter how much she tried to be the adult of the situation. But she was too tired to think, let alone be the emotional anchor of someone like Mabel. So instead, she took Mabel's hand and towed her towards the car.

"C'mon…let's get you patched up."

Mabel didn't respond or pull away. She just stared at the ground and followed. Wendy got the feeling that the scrapes and bruises were the last things on her mind.

 ***0***

Wendy sat outside the room in which Dipper rested. Nurses and orderlies rushed past her as she stared at the wall with a blank expression. Every now and then she nodded off but sleep always evaded her. The idea of falling asleep and awakening to find her best friend dead gnawed at her mind. The hospital was busy trying to help all the people who The Shapeshifter had trampled, so they hardly had the time to wrap a couple bandages over him and inject him with a couple doses of pain-killers. Mabel sat beside her, eyes glued to the floor. Pacifica was in Preston's room, the two of them having a much-needed talk.

Wendy had been the one to tell Pacifica that her mother had died. She had been unsure of what reaction might be given. Sorrow? Regret? Anger? The one thing which she had not been prepared for was silence. It was the kind of stoicism which Mabel had shown. Wendy had expected some kind of extreme, but Pacifica didn't even look shocked.

Then Wendy had noticed the red around Pacifica's eyes, and the cruel reality had struck. Pacifica had already grieved. She had _seen_ her mother die. That or seen her corpse. The thirteen-year-old was well aware of the situation and had probably cried as the Shapeshifter dragged her and her father away.

Staring down the hall, Wendy wondered how much more attention Preston was receiving since he was rich. The ginger sighed resentfully and turned her attention towards the door to Dipper's room. She turned her attention back to the door to Dipper's room and was surprised when Mabel began to speak.

"Remember the time that Dipper accidentally hit you in the face with a baseball?"

Wendy frowned but nodded. "Uh…Sure."

"And then, Robbie brought you that ice, so you ended up going out with him?"

Wendy's frown deepened, "Yeeeessss…?"  
Mabel swallowed. "Dipper wanted to prevent that. He wanted to use a time machine to prevent the baseball from ever bouncing like it did. But it required me to be in a certain place at a certain time. As a result, I couldn't buy Waddles, and Pacifica ended up taking him…and later eating him."

Wendy stared with wide eyes. "You-you gave me a black eye…and let me date Robbie…so that you could have a pet?"

Mabel rubbed her hands together, "I also kinda-sorta guilt tripped Dipper into letting the timeline stay the same."

Wendy blinked an unorthodox number of times and turned towards Mabel. "I-I-I…"

"I don't blame you if you hate me."

Wendy took a deep breath. "I'm angry Mabel…but I don't…hate you. Weirdly enough…I don't know…I should be angrier considering all the stuff that happened because of...you-know-what…but I…I guess it turned out for the best, right?"

Mabel shrugged. "I guess."

Wendy took a deep breath. "You should talk to him."

The brunette looked up, knowing instantly what Wendy was referring to. "I don't think-"

"You need to tell him how you feel, or everything will bottle up again."

Mabel looked ready to argue but was too exhausted. "Please. For both of our sakes…tell him before it's too late."  
Mabel looked Wendy in the eye and then nodded. She stood and slipped into Dipper's room. Wendy watched her go and hoped that she got through to her twin. Stan passed her, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Where are you headed?"  
He didn't look up. "I'm gonna go unfreeze my brother." He glanced back, "Keep an eye on the twins okay?"

She nodded, before standing. "You called their parents right?"

He bristled. "Didn't see the point in worrying them."

Wendy watched him go, realizing that he didn't want them to leave any more than she did. The only difference was that he was prepared to keep them in this town, with his dangerous brother, regardless of how hazardous it might be. She remembered how miserable he had been while Dipper and Mabel were gone, he had been more melancholy than her. She wondered if the Pines parents would choose to send their children up for a third summer, especially after seeing scars all over them. She would be leaving The Shack soon for college. If he and his brother didn't makeup, it would just be him and Soos.

Stan and Mabel both feared loneliness more than anything else. But how the measures they took to prevent it, were completely different. Stan had been cast out of his family. Mabel had seen her brother consistently endangered by his own ambition.

Mabel slipped out and gave Wendy a teary smile. "He wants to umm…talk to you."

 ***0***

"Please…"

Pacifica kept her eyes on the floor, trying to block out her father's voice, as well as his labored breathing and the chirping of the machines keeping him alive. She considered responding but instead shoved down her anger. Letting him speak was the least she could do.

"Pacifica…please don't *ACH* leave…me. You…you mean everything to me."

"Dad…no I don't. Business means everything to you. It always has."

"That's *HACH* not true…"  
Pacifica sighed and responded without looking up. "Dad…when it came between making ten million dollars and coming to my sixth birthday party…you chose the latter."  
It didn't come out resentful or teary. Just tired. She felt so _tired_. There was nothing she wanted at the moment, then to curl up in bed, and sleep for a thousand years.

His breathing hitched, and he struggled to speak. "Paci-Pacifica…I know I haven't been the best father…"

"You've been physically and psychologically abusive. You degraded me. You made me feel worthless so that I would do whatever you said."

"…but watching you…almost die…It's made me…realize how important you are…"

She jumped to her feet, anger now flashing in her eyes at the fact that he was not apologetic for putting her friends in danger. "Dad, I was about to die, because of YOU. Because YOU hired a monster-"

"I thought he was just a regular human! He said he was a bounty hunter. He tricked me!"

"I DON'T CARE. You hired him to _kill_ the boy I love and to then _erase_ my memories of him so that I would be your perfect slave again. You saved me, but only from a problem that YOU CREATED!"

He stared at her, tears brimming in his bruised eyes. He lowered his vision to the foot of the bed and spoke in a raspy whisper. The words gutted his daughter.

"You are all I have left…"

Pacifica rubbed her eyes, "I'm sorry dad…but mom's dead because of you."

She gave him an intense glare. "I can't forgive you for that…not yet…"

She turned away and refused to look at him for another moment. With swollen eyes, Preston watched her exit the room and slam the door without looking back.

 ***0***

"You…you wanted to speak with me?" Wendy played with her hands, knowing that this was the moment of truth.

He raised his head from the blankets and gave her a pain-killer induced smile. "Wendy…come over here…"

She frowned but did as requested. "Are you sure you're up to this Dipper?"

He nodded rapidly and ran a bandaged hand across his forehead. "Wendy…you are probably…the best friend that a guy could ask for…"

His eyes rounded the stains in the ceiling, drowning in an ocean of hallucination. "I...I haven't had many friends in my life. But I'm happy to add someone like you to the list."

His head lolled to the side, hazy vision focusing on her. "You've got a ton anxiety…just like me…but you always manage to be courageous, to help others...to uh, _to do the smart thing._ "

Wendy couldn't help but disagree with him, but nodded despite this. She could name several instances off the top of her head in which she had done something decidedly not smart. Like not listening to Dipper when he warned her and her friends about ghosts. Or when she had spied on him and Paz, eventually getting into a full blown argument with the blonde and alienating both of the twins.

The way he described her felt like how she thought of him. But definitely not of herself. Judging by his expressions, he sensed this disagreement.

"Wendy…you are the kind of person who most people can only hope to be…I hope one day…I can be as relaxed as you. I hope I can be that content." He gripped her hand, and she felt like he was tugging her into his world of drifting hallucinations. "That's why…the last thing that I want…is to lose you. It would be…awful. So promise me…that no matter what, you aren't going to avoid me for too long. I know what heartbreak feel like, I know that you are going to need some time…after I tell you that I no longer am attracted to you…"

Her heart skipped a beat.

"…but please…the heartbreak fades…the pain…the loneliness…the crushing desire…it all starts to wane. _Everything does eventually_." He coughed brutally and lay back down.

The last part of his sentence was the only part which reached her. Everything _wanes_. Everything DIES. Wendy shuddered, wanting to be anywhere but here at the moment.

Dipper started back up, even though she was mentally pleading with him to remain silent. "Except friendship. People say that love lasts forever…but if you look at my parents…at my grandparents…people don't stay together forever because of affection. They stay together forever because they make each other laugh because they can rely on one another."

He squeezed her hand, as though he knew that she was currently beginning to turn him out. To crawl within herself and mentally cry. It all seemed incredibly unfair. One giant, sick joke on made at her expense. But then he brought her hand to his chest, and the feeling of his heart returned her to the bleeding reality.

"…Remember when you said, 'Growing up is for suckers?'"

She smirked at the words, spoken just a few weeks ago, but feeling like a thousand years prior to this moment. They felt foolish, laughable now, even though they had originally been a joke, they were only ironically humorous. She nodded though when she noticed is silence, and avoided his gaze as he spoke.

"Well, that's what life is supposed to be. You are supposed to have someone who you can always be honest with, someone who you can always play an arcade game with. And I am so… _so sorry_."

His voice cracked. "The problem isn't you…" Reaching out, he drew a finger across her hair and smiled. "…you are perfect. I just can't…I can't…I can't make you feel loved. Because I don't love you anymore. I can't control that…That's not…that's not the way my mind…or anyone else's works."

Wendy stood up. She didn't want to listen to his consoling, or his reasons, no matter how logical. All she wanted was to be alone for a very long time.

"I don't know if I like Paz…but that's not important. What's important is that I can't be selfish any longer."

She opened the door.

"I can't drag you along without a guilty conscience anymore."

She slammed the door and wished that she had been able to tune him out. But the words just kept jumping around her in her skull, each a needle stabbed into a chest.

 ***0***

Dipper watched her go and wiped his eyes. _^You really screwed it up, this time, PineTree.^_

Dipper closed his eyes, it made it easier to speak to the voice which had haunted his head since the fateful battle.

 _I had to_. He knew that he would not convince the splinter of a demon. Yet still he wished for

Cipher laughed, that horrible, horrible laugh which echoed through his head and would not quiet. _^First you lie to your sister, telling her that you are going to quote on quote, BE MORE CAREFUL. Then you lie to Red, telling her that you don't still have wet dreams about her. Are you TRYING to isolate yourself? Are you trying to be miserable?^_

He sighed deeply. _You wouldn't understand. You're immortal. So are your friends. You never had to push someone away to protect them. I'm no good for her…I've finally figured that out. The closer she is to me…the more she'll try to protect me from the monsters who are after ME. She doesn't deserve a life of bruises…she doesn't deserve to mourn me…and all her sacrifice would be worthless…because if my arrogance was responsible for my death, I would not be able to live with myself._

 _^HA! Maybe you're right PineTree, but why then, didn't you push away ShootingStar? Huh? You think it's fine to leave Red out in the cold but to keep your own sister in the dark?^_

Dipper shook his head. _Mabel needs me. Wendy is tough, she can take it._

The demon which haunted his mind laughed. _^Nice manipulating PineTree…I guess the two of us ain't so different after all. You pulled off "drug-induced honesty" perfectly. If you keep this up, you can be just like your idol by age eighteen.^_

The remnant of the banished demon paused for dramatic effect, _^But I had eons to perfect my plan…you had ten minutes. What if you're WRONG? What if Red isn't as strong as you think?^_

Dipper shut out the demon's cackling, wondering for the thousandth time why the universe had linked Bill Cipher to his psyche. Sighing, he lay back upon the pillow and let slumber roll over him. For the first time in almost a year, he slept without nightmares.

When awoke hours later, he missed the disturbing familiarity.

 ***0***

A bellowing voice of broke Wendy's train of thoughts. She looked up and saw her father charging towards her. At the moment, she didn't feel like one of his bear hugs. But she didn't try to avoid his massive arms as he pulled her close to his chest.

Setting her down, he gripped her shoulder. "GWENDOLYN BERBLE CORDUROY! WHERE IN GOD'S NAME HAVE YOU BEEN?"

Wendy winced at his grip on her bruised shoulder, and he looked her up and down, noting how beaten she looked with growing horror. "Relax Dad. I've just been helping some friends. Why? It's the weekend."

He glowered down at her. "FIRST THERE WAS A BREAK IN AT THAT PLACE YOU WORKED…THEN THERE WAS A MURDEROUS RAMPAGE…THEN, A WILDFIRE STARTED. I CALLED YOU ELEVEN TIMES TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU WERE SAFE!"

Wendy realized how the sequence of events must have felt to her father. "Dad…my phone got smashed. I'm sorry I didn't call…I just got wrapped up in things. Promise it won't happen agai-"

"YOU CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS GWENDOLYN! I'M PUTTING MY FOOT DOWN!" He stomped for unneeded emphasis, and she folded her arms, pulling away fro his touch. "What do you mean? I haven't-"

"YOU THINK THAT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE BRUISES? HOW LATE YOU COME HOME SOME DAYS? THAT PINES FAMILY IS TROUBLE WITH A CAPITAL T, AND I REFUSE TO LET MY LITTLE GIRL THROW HER LIFE AWAY, RIGHT WHEN SHE'S ON THE CUSP OF ADULTHOOD."

She gestured towards the hospital room in which the boy who had just broken her heart lay. "My _friends_ needed my help dad!"

"NO! YOU'RE BEHAVIOR IS NOT ONLY DANGEROUS FOR YOU, BUT IT MAKES YOU A TERRIBLE ROLE MODEL FOR YOUR BROTHERS."  
"Right! Because they look up to me SO MUCH."  
"I PROMISED YOUR MOTHER THAT I WOULD TAKE CARE OF YOU. I CAN'T DO THAT IF YOU TRY TO THROW YOUR LIFE AWAY AT EVERY OPPOURUTNITY. SO YOU HAVE TO PROMISE ME THAT YOU AREN'T GOING TO DO THIS ANYMORE!"

"WELL, I CAN'T MAKE THAT PROMISE, SO _FUCK OFF_!"

Wendy didn't care that her throat hurt from the scream. Or that the words had left a horrible feeling in her mouth. Or that it felt like everyone in the hospital was staring at her. Judging her, for being a grown-up brat. She didn't even care that her father was currently looking right through her. Like she no longer existed. The two of them were silent for a long time, and Wendy could do nothing but stare at his blurring form.

She wanted him to scream back, to remove her freedom. To give her something. Any reason to let go of control and cry her heart out. To stop the aching in her chest like he had when her seventh birthday party had been ruined. To tell her everything would be alright, like the time when she had begun crying for her mother and realized that she would never come.

But he couldn't. She was all grown up. And it was too late.

Sniffing, her father told her that if she could really take care of herself, then she need not waste time coming home. His voice was so soft, so quiet in comparison to his normal roar, that she could feel the shaky emotion in each syllable. She wanted to reach out, to apologize. But she didn't. Instead, she felt like her knees were ready to collapse.

Then he stomped past her without another word.

Wendy watched him leave with a sinking feeling, and sat down on the bench, with snot oozing out of her nose childishly as her body shook with each whimper. Too much. Too much too soon. She hadn't had time to think. Why could he have just let her be for a little bit? Why couldn't Dipper have just lied? Why…why did everything have to be so messed up?

She had made it to the surface, and she wanted to go back into the deep dark water. Because everything looked terrible now that there wasn't any water between her and it. She had wanted to help teach Pacifica's parents a lesson. Now one was dead, and the other was beaten to a pulp. FANTASTIC. She had wanted Dipper, to be honest. GREAT IDEA. She had wanted her dad to get off of her back. STELLAR! Next, why not fuck up your relationship with Paz?

Wendy realized that the rich girl was gawking at her. _Tell her how much you hate her guts. Tell her how much you wish that The Shapeshifter had KILLED her while it had a chance. How you shouldn't have risked your life for her._

The sixteen-year-old did none of these things. She stood up, and made an angry noise, her face scrunching up in rage. Pacifica flinched, prepared for some form of abuse. She didn't move her arms to protect herself, however. She just stood there like a punching bag. Ready to take any slur or attack, no matter how painful or mentally bruising. Wendy turned away, wishing more than anything else that she could beat someone up who was half her size, and didn't deserve it. She couldn't though. Not even she could sink that low.

So instead, she stalked out into the rain and hoped that she would never have to stop walking.

 ***0***

 _^Happy now?^_

Wendy opened her eyes. She was sitting at a massive, rotting table. A feast of festering morsels lay before her. A chandelier of bourgeoisie proportions lay above her, swaying lightly as crows picked at the corpses who sat at all the other seats.

That is, except the head chair. There lay a smiling man, dressed in a shredded yellow and black zoot suit. Blood stained his chest. He only had one eye, lying in the center of his sagging, rotting face. His teeth gnashed as he tossed a couple of ankle bones into his tooth filled maw.

 _^You defeated the bad guy. You should be happy.^_ Blood ran down his cheek, splattering against the table.

Wendy sat up. "Where am I? Why am I having these dreams?"

He smirked despite his deteriorating condition. _^How should I know? I'm locked away in some hell dimension, remember? To rot away until the ninth infinity reaches a close.^_

He leaned forward, his one eye beginning to burn with fire so hot that it turned blue and could be felt across the table. **^You made sure of that Red. You cut down the tree and burned the forest to the ground.^**

Wendy glared at him. "You know why I'm here…I know that you do. You summoned me here…probably to make some deal now that I am at my lowest."

The cyclops rolled his eye. _^Au Contraire skin-bag…you summoned ME.^_

He giggled at her shocked expression and leaned backward. _^So what's the job? Do you want me to curse Llama? Or PineTree. Ooh! Ooh! I could turn them into their retrospective nicknames/spiritual incarnations…Or I could have you dad chop his own-^_

"I don't want anything from you and I certainly didn't summon you!" She placed her hands on different sides of her skull, wishing for nothing more than to be left alone. "UGH! I don't...I don't understand how could this have happened?"

He shrugged, _^Beats me. In case, you haven't noticed…^_ He gestured to the decaying palace. _^I've been out of the loop for quite a bit.^_

Wendy ran a hand through her hair, trying to remember what could have caused this. "You weren't the one sending me all those weird dreams then?"

 _^Nope.^_

"And you couldn't have you summoned me if you wanted to…right?"

 _^Yup.^_ He downed a chalice of wine and it spilled out of his exposed ribs, staining the shirt and mixing with the blood.

He returned the chalice to its rightful place and Wendy could see it refill on its own. A crow landed on his plate and flew off with what little food was left. The demon belched despite not having anything to consume and gave a ragged smile.

 _^Maybe Sixer placed one of his do-dads on ya.^_

"Wait, what?"

 _^He still owns a bunch of figurines and stuff. It's all supposed to let you access the Dreamscape through means of meditation. If you use one long enough, you get me…regardless of whether or not I'm in my home dimension.^_

Her green eyes focused on his yellow and black one. _^Hey, how is the old geezer. It's been a while since I've been inside his head.^_

Wendy sat back down. "Do-dads…you mean like…trinkets?"

 _^Right again Red. Your brain is almost as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside.^_ He licked his lips with a rattlesnake sized tongue.

Wendy wasn't paying attention to the demon's cravings, however. She was staring at her empty palms. Or more specifically, the copper rhombus which was flickering into being there. The trinket which she had taken from Ford's room. It had seemed so insignificant at the moment when Dipper had told her that she could keep anything that she found.

 _^You finally figured it out I guess.^_

She responded in a distant voice. "Yeah, I guess so…"

Raising her hand, she aimed for the stone floor. _^W-WAIT!^_

The demon scrambled across the table, making his way towards her like a spider. She could see worms crawling about inside his skull though the bash in his bald scalp. His smile had disappeared and he clapped his hands together in a plea.

 _^I've been so alone down here…my friends are all back in the Nightmare Dimension…there's no one…no one to speak to.^_ He tried to give a charming smile despite his razor sharp teeth. _^Please, I won't try to manipulate you…I'll just ch-chat with you.^_

Her brow furrowed. "You tried to kill everyone I love…I'm not gonna feel sorry for you."

 _"But-But…"_

She raised the piece into the air, and he snarled, any levity in his voice now gone. _^You'll never make him as happy as I can.^_

Wendy frowned and turned towards the demon. "What…What are you talking about?"

He smirked, _^He chose me. He would rather be my pawn…then your boyfriend.^_

The redhead blinked slightly, and then gave him a sarcastic look. "What, do you now have a crush on Dipper too."

The demon foamed slightly at the mouth. _^YOU CAN ONLY EVER GIVE HIM COMFORT. I CAN GIVE HIM THE AMBITION TO CHANGE THE WORLD.^_

Wendy glanced down at the rhombus, at her reflection within a dream. "Why are you telling me this? We both lost. He doesn't want me any more than he does you. Because he rejected me…and sent you to a hell dimension."

She returned her dejected look to the one eyed beast. "He wants…well, I don't know. Happiness. Peace."

Cipher burst out laughing. _^Peace? What world do you live in? That kid doesn't want PEACE. He would kill if it meant that he could still be **miserable**. He has the biggest fucking martyr complex I've known in my Trillion year plan…And I saw Jesus.^_

Wendy folded her arms, eyes widening as he continued. _^He hasn't gotten to me, any more than he would get over you. He doesn't "get over" anything. PineTree searches around until he finds someone he can trust. Then he hangs onto them like a friggin parasite. If you break his heart, he doesn't get over it. He just glues together the pieces and learns his lesson. He still regrets the girl in fourth grade who he never gave a valentine to. Years from now, he's gonna remember the time that he accidentally dropped a carton of milk and ruined breakfast. How do I know this?_ **Because I have been inside his head. THE ONLY THING, and I mean the only thing, which keeps him from thinking about his mistakes, loneliness, and boredom is playing the hero."**

The demon laughed so hard that his lower jaw began to hang lose grotesquely. It swung back and forth like a stray rope, all the muscle holding it there revealed. Wendy took a step back, sure that he couldn't hurt her, but disgusted by the idea of touching him. She could see his crow-picked tongue, and sense the logic behind his madness.

 _^And DAMN, is he good at it. That kid's smarter than most Oxford Professors. His mind is like a machine…all it needs is the correct pieces and someone to keep it well oiled.^_ An opportunistic gleam had returned to his eyes. But it faded when he looked almost regretful for a moment. _^Heh…I don't think that you can do that Red. He wants to snuggle up with you and never wake up. He wants to hold hands in the rain. Blondie isn't in the same ball field, mostly because you started reciprocating. Hell, he wants you to have his children and he wants to help you bake chocolate chip cookies for his great-grandchildren. It is SICKENING how much he loves you. The Shapeshifter may have made a few mistakes, but it hit dead on when it came to Sixer's impressions.^_

He turned back towards her, his eye rolling into the back of his skull. _^You can't have your cake and eat it too. He knows that. Look at what happened the first time he let you come searching for clues with him? YOU FOUGHT THE SHAPESHIFTER,_ **he thought you died.** _I'm not the reason he has nightmares IceBag. YOU ARE. You are the thing which keeps him up at night because you are mostly It's you or me, and I'm telling you to back off so that I have a hope of getting out of this place. So that he…has a chance of being anything other than miserable.^_

 _It's you or me, and I'm telling you to back off so that I have a hope of getting out of this place. So that he…has a chance of being anything other than miserable.^_

Wendy stared at him, feeling her spirits lift with every word. She wanted to smash the rhombus and then run to Dipper. To tell him that she was ready for anything. But she couldn't.

No matter how evil, the demon was correct. They could not have their perfect future while he was building machines that could end the world. She couldn't stand by and watch him threaten his life on a daily basis

 _^So c'mon…I can tell you everything you need…I'll I need is for you to let me into your mind.^_

Wendy sighed. "It's not happening pal."

Cipher laughed and crumpled into himself. His bones crunched against one another, his eye rolled forward, sending a search light out. She watched in horror as his legs rolled back into place. He smirked with his new, gaping maw, now a fleshy triangle levitating just above her.

 ** _^I'm warning you Red, few people get the chance for omnipotence. Don't throw this away…^_**

She shrugged. "I don't want it."

Her fingers released and the rhombus slammed against the ground. She slammed her boot against the Blinding light pierced the room, shredding through Cipher. The crows multiplied, forming a great black murder which swarmed the room's two occupants. Wendy covered her head, unable to look at their writhing forms or hear their piercing shrieks any longer. As they tore Cipher bit from the bit, the light which cascaded from the broken geometrical figurine. It burned into the walls, the ceiling started to tear away into the void.

Not black like out space. But more blinding white. It seeped into the room, eventually blotting out the whirling dervish of black feathers. Until the whole room had been shinned out, and replaced with a void. Wendy floated above its lack of up or down, before losing gravity and slamming into it.

Cracks streaked across the world, and it splintered into a thousand pieces.

Wendy awoke in the bed of a dirty motel. She packed her bag within an hour and was out of town before the sun was up. She gave one last mournful look at her hometown as the bus pulled her away, but took a deep breath and kept her eyes on the road ahead.

 ***0***

 _(July 28th, 2016)_

Dipper gave a weary smile as he screwed in the final bolt. The sixteen-going-on-seventeen-year-old finished his work and stepped away from the car.

"There you go Grunkle Stan. I hope you like it." He glanced at the old man, whose cane made it difficult for him to enter the garage. His sister helped, and Stan gave him a thumbs up.

"Well done Dip, you're getting better every day."  
"AHEM!" They turned and found Ford standing in the hallway, glaring in at them. Dipper sighed and stood up, "Sorry for being late, I just-"

The old man smirked and pulled out four tickets. "I was wondering if we were going to test your handiwork out."

Mabel noticed the clown insignia upon the tickets and beamed. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! YOU ARE THE BEST GREAT UNCLE AT THIS PARTICULAR MOMENT!"

Ford couldn't help but laugh as she bounced over and wrapped her arms around his chest. When she finally pulled away, the bubbly girl rushed off speaking at such a speed that it made her sentence barely discernible. "Waddleslovesthecountyfair, I HAVE TO GO GET HIM!"

Ford watched her leave with a humorous expression and smirked when Stan glared up at him. "One point for me brother."

Stan cracked his knuckles and limped past the scientist. "The day is not over yet poindexter."

Dipper wiped his hands off on a rag and raised his eyes from the tools he was putting away, to his mentor. "Are you uh, sure about this?"

Ford nodded. "You've been working all week Dipper, you need this. Remember, there's a time to work-"

"-and a time to eat as many funnel cakes as is humanly possible?"

Ford nodded with a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Now go get your wallet, you might find something you want to buy there."

Dipper nodded and sprinted off after his sister. He was nearly as tall as Ford at this point, with his sneakers smashing against the wood floor as he raced up the stairs. He was still getting used to his body but was getting less clumsily with every passing day.

Ford watched him go with a smile. It hadn't been easy to convince their parents to allow them back up here. But once The Shack had been refurbished to its fullest and Stan's beloved clunker replaced (each motion a gift to one another for their shared birthday), the Pines parents had been much more trusting. The fact that Mabel had developed an irresistible puppy dog look didn't hurt either. Dipper had seemed a little bit stressed upon arriving here, but Ford had taken him aside and had a heart to heart. He regretted not being there for Dipper's mental breakdown last year, even though he and his brother had driven down to help support. Dipper had been considerably more happy in the presence of his uncles, and Ford suspected this was one of the reasons his parents had allowed him and his sister back to Gravity falls. So he considered this as a chance to prevent further break downs.

He told Dipper how much he hated the idea of him becoming just like him. How, it was important to not become too wrapped up in your work, or it might swallow you whole. Literally in Ford's case. He stressed that if he ever felt like his world was falling apart, the two of them should talk because he had been just the same as a teenager. Then he told him that he was overjoyed to have them back after two years. Video lessons with Dipper hadn't been the same as the field work which the two of them could do. Better still, Mabel had proven herself worthy of joining in their escapades, and Ford found that her presence was less distracting for his ward than first anticipated.

Best yet, he, Stan, and Shermy had all gathered for their father's funeral anniversary. He had expected for it to be difficult to relate to the brother who he never grew up with. But Stan and Shermy had hit it off, with him sitting back and watching them exchange funny stories about their father with an ache in his chest.

It was a happy kind of ache, however. He knew that it had taken much longer than he had ever dreamed, but Ford had found a place for freaks like himself. Everything was finally smoothing out.

 ***0***

Dipper had been in the middle of eating one of those oh so craved funnel cakes when Stan spotted her. "Hey Dipper look, it's the girl of your dreams!"

The teen turned, and his eyes bulged as he stared at Wendy Corduroy for the first time in nearly two years. She was dressed in a yellow and red pinstripe outfit, with a kooky hat on her head. She shoveled popcorn into people's cups with a grin on her face. He could see the white plastic earbuds pushed snugly into her ear canals, and realized that she was bobbing her head to the music of her MP3 player.

He practically kicked up a cloud reaching the line. Mabel giggled, before skipping after him, ready to give any moral support he might require. Plus enjoy his funnel cake. He wouldn't want to look like he didn't care about his body after all.

Stan turned towards his brother and whispered as they watched him wait anxiously, "I think I win."

The six-fingered inventor would have punched the con man, had he not known that his brother would retaliate with a vicious left hook. So instead, he folded his arms and watched as Dipper fidgeted in the line.

As he drew closer to the booth, the investigator felt his heart beat more and more rapidly. What if she hated him? What if he made her cry? What if she was happy, and didn't want him to ruin it for her like he always did?  
"You are going to be fine."

He glanced back at his sister, relieved to have her mind reading powers on his side. Still he faltered. "What if she hates my guts?"

Mabel smirked, "She doesn't bro."

"How do you-"

"Because you have saved her life as many times as she has saved yours. Because she has missed you just as much as you have missed her. Because she's WENDY." She placed a hand upon Dipper's shoulder and gave him a warm smile. "Go on Bro, you've tortured yourself enough."

Silently thanking the universe for giving him the greatest sister someone could ask for, Dipper hugged Mabel and rushed towards the line. Toby Determined received his popcorn and called after his girlfriend (Sandra Jimenez). Dipper stepped up, mentally preparing himself for the worst.

Wendy had her back turned to him, but he could hear the smile in her voice as she grabbed the popcorn scoop. "Would you like a Small, Medium, or Lar-?"

She turned towards him, and the scoop fell from her hands. Dipper tried to give a shy grin, but she looked so startled that he still had no idea if she would be happy, sad, or worst of all, pretend that she didn't know him.

But she just stared at him, the popping of the kernels and the scream of fold-up rollercoaster riders, both fading into the background. His dark brown eyes fell on her own bright green ones. The whole world, past, present, and future seemed insignificant.

Dipper coughed, refusing to stay in the silence any longer. "I'm sorry that I…never got to see you off to college…I would have but…"

She bolted forward, wrapping her grease stained arms around him. Dipper stuttered, and then wrapped his own arms around her unsteady form.

"You're all grown up Dippingsauce."

"You don't look a day over nineteen yourselves."

She hit him lightly on the shoulder and wiped her eyes while he giggled like the jerk that he was. "…so…did you ever uh," She pulled away, and suddenly became aware that the entire Pines entourage was watching the two of them. "…solve all the mysteries…"  
He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. "Not really…I-"

Wendy threw off her apron and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, let's go somewhere quiet!" She jumped over the counter, giving him barely any time to respond.

"Don't you have a job here?"  
She shrugged as he began to jog just to stay within earshot of her. "Eh. Once a slacker always a slacker DippingSauce."

 ***0***

Across the great field which surrounded the fair, the two of them ran. Bounding, leaping and trying to outdo one another in a more spectacular way than the last. Over rocks and logs, ditches and outcroppings, they eventually found an old bridge and sat down. They chucked twigs into the river and watched their feet dangle as they caught up with one another's life.

Wendy told Dipper about how college was, and how she and her father were coming back to good terms. Dipper told her about how his parents had half-forced him into therapy following his breakdown last year. Surprisingly, it wasn't as humiliating as he had expected it to be, although he couldn't _really_ tell the doctor about ALL his problems without sounding insane. He chose not to mention that the voice of Bill Cipher had not been present in his mind for the last eleven months, mostly because he had ever admitted it earlier. Whether this absence was a good thing or an omen of rising power, he cared not. At the moment, he could think without the voice of selfishness and destruction interrupting.

They swapped funny stories until they had none left, and then, they sat there, admiring the massive trees which surrounded them and the unpolluted river which ran below. The trickle of the water had a strange effect on their perception of time. Dipper swore that the two of them sat there for an eternity.

Wendy was the one to break the silence this time. "So…how is Paz?"

He shrugged. "We meet up every now and then…but we haven't talked a lot since she moved in with her foster parents."

"Wait, what?"

"Oh yeah, her dad turned himself in for tax avoidance, smuggling, and a bunch other crimes. He didn't mention that he was an abusive conspirator in my murder, but he isn't getting out of prison anytime soon. He isn't coming anywhere near her again either. She visits him once in a while."

Wendy blinked multiple times. "Wow."

"Yeah, she's hasn't been the same since...her mom died. But she and Mabel still have hour long conversations over the phone. It's actually kind of annoying."

Wendy nodded along cracking her neck as he continued. "Yeah. She got to stay with us for a few weeks in back in June."

He hesitated before deciding that he would always be honest with her from now on. "I asked her out."

"Huh?"

"But she turned me down." He chucked a piece of gravel into the water. "Told me that long distance relationships never work. She's probably right."

Wendy nodded like a doting teacher. "Yup. They never do. That's for sure."

Dipper summoned a smile and ran a hand across the back of his neck. "Well…"

"Well, what? You about to tell me there's some cute girl in Piedmont who has fallen for the dashing Dipper Pines?" She gave him a queer glance, half joking and half hoping that this wasn't the case.

He shook his head. "Nah, I was just thinking…Ford always says that there is an exception to every rule of the universe. That rules need to be tested for certain."

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you wanna call Paz and convince to date you with your irresistible voice?"

It was her turn to receive a light slap on the shoulder. The redhead giggled, and swayed to the side as Dipper collected himself. She spotted the serious look on his face and realized what he was about to say.

"I was actually considering-"

"Don't."  
"Wend, you didn't let me-"

"Dipper. Whenever you and I…try to be a…well I don't know. But it always ends in disaster." He gave her a strange look, not disagreeing but clearly surprised. "I know why you didn't want to get close to me Dipper. I know why you lied. And I understand it. I'm fine with this."

She sighed, and took his hand. "Seriously. This is fine."  
He looked down at her hand and cleared his throat. "Well, I was going to ask out the cute girl who lives down the street from me back in Piedmont-"

Wendy punched him. "Oh my god! You were leading me on you…you…KITTEN-SNEEZER!"

His giggles reached their peak, and he cast a playfully vengeful glare her way. "Oh, now you are going to get it."

He leaped on top of her, the two of them rolling back and forth across the bridge. Their laughter filled the forest as they tickled one another without remorse. Finally, Dipper was able to keep Wendy pinned down. He gave her the devil's grin and ran his fingers up and down her sides.

"AHAHAHAHA! OH GOD YOU LITTLE-EEEHEHEEEHEEAHAHA! STOP IT OR I'll-AHAHAHAAHAAA!"  
She rocked beneath him like a cannon which had not been tied down on a pirate ship. Dipper relinquished his attack, taking a moment to stare at her. Her cheeks were red and flushed. Her eyes were gleaming. He reached forward and brushed a red hair off of her forehead.

"Dipper…" She said his name more like a plea than a demand.

He shook his head, knowing full well what she was about to say. "Just…let me try something."

Wendy looked ready to melt away if it meant to escape the situation. "We're gonna-"

"Wendy, I hurt you. And I have thought of the look on your face as I hurt you for the past three years. I'm sick of regretting things. I'm sick of messing up my future because I'm too afraid to bet on myself. I am sick of being myself."

Wendy swallowed with some difficulty, her eyes now locking with his. "But when I am with you…I feel like a different person. A better person. I'm sick of thinking Wendy. So if you are alright with it…let me make it up to you. Screw the future, because if we ever ruin each other's lives…we can just use a time machine to go back and say 'No past selves, you two need to stay one-hundred percent pla-tonic.' And we'll listen because...well, it's us from the future, and we'll know better."

She chuckled at the voice he put on but still hesitated. "Dipper…I care too much about you to hurt you…"

"That's why you aren't going to."  
She raised her eyes and he continued. "We've missed each other for the past three year's right? Well, that proves…that this is real. That it will last."

"And if it doesn't?"

"I'll always have my best friend who I can complain about my girlfriend too." He winked, and this time, she grinned fully. She leaned forward and stole a kiss.

Dipper looked like he had just ingested some rare drug. He rolled over beside her and stared up at the sky.

"First time?"

He shook his head. "Wish it was. That was so much better than kissing Candy."

She burst out laughing and sat up. "Well, it was pretty cool for me too."

"What? The first time you kissed a boy?"

"No silly, the first time I kissed a girl! College sure is _cool_ …" She barely concealed a grin.

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Ha-Ha." Wendy stood and dusted off her jeans, Dipper growing a wide-eyed look as she passed him. "Wait, you're joking right?"

She started off back towards the fair. "Well c'mon Dipping Sauce, we can spend the day giving popcorn to those who will grumble about the prices."

Dipper scrambled after her, having to dash to reach her. As the sun began to dip in the sky and the leaves rustled, from her hiding place, Mabel Pines could hear him asking if she had been serious about the kissing a girl thing.

"Wouldn't you like to know Mr. Detective?" Was the redhead's sly response.

Mabel pumped her fists into the air. She danced back and forth, trying to contain her glee. Removing her backpack, she pulled out the Dippendy mobile. Dusting it off, she removed a "WINNER" sticker from her ever-present collection on the back of her neck and pasted it upon the drawing of her brother and the tall redhead holding hands.

"After FOUR YEARS, _finally_!" She did a little dance and removed her aqua colored cell phone.

 **SparklyPigLover: YOR PLN WORKD! They r bth supr hppy! Thnx so much!**

She waited a few secondds before beaming when she recieved a text from her corrospondent.

 **PazzGolfqueen: Great. Tell Wendy I said hello.**

 **SparklyPigLover: CN DO! :-D**

Pocketing her phone, Mabel wondered about when she should start planning her brothers wedding. Humming the happiest song on earth, Mabel scooped up her prized hog.

"C'mon Waddles, let's go tease Dipper."

The pig snorted in approval as she skipped after the couple. The sun cast mystifying purple and orange across the world. Mabel breathed in the semi-delcious, semi-trashy smell of the fair, and snuggled against her pig. Her great uncles were finally happy, her brother was happy. Wendy was happy. And although Paz wasn't currently ecstatic about life, Mabel would make it her job to supply that happiness. Because when other people were happy, Mabel was.

After years, the future was finally looking bright.

* * *

 _"Here's to the rubble,_

 _A brick through every window,_

 _a casket buried six feet deep for everybody's hero!_

 _Here's to out lives being meaningless..._

 _And how beautiful it is because freedom doesn't have a purpose!" ~ Harmony Parking Lot,_ Johnny Hobo and The Freight Trains,

 **THE END**

* * *

 _ **THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU ALL! Sorry that this was late. I want to tell you all that I love your support. Even though I'm not exactly a fan of the pairing anymore, I figured, what the hell right? I wanted to make you guys happy. I hope that this was a satisfying**_  
 _ **Unfortunately, I am probably going to be uploading stories and chapters at a slower pace from here on. I need to focus on my original work if I ever want to turn writing into a profession as I plan.**_

 _ **But I will always remember how you guys have made me feel like a million dollars. 25,547 is how many people visited "Jealous of a Twelve Year old." One-hundred and seven of those people Favorited it.**_

 _ **I will always remember how helped me become five times as good at writing, and how Gravity Falls helped me get through a difficult patch in life. Stuff is better now, but of course, life can always get better. I hope that I gave some kind of small, if convoluted, the message in each of my stories. The best I can hope is to bring a good story to your lives while still having some kind of message.**_

 _ **Your encouragement has truly made me an Infamous Fly. And that's the best you can hope for**_ _ **as a writer. Have a fantastic day. ;)**_


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